The Wilmington morning star., 1944-09-28
COUNTIES BEING
CLEARED OF DEBT

RALEIGH, Sept. 81 up -Ar
proximately sc of the states 10
counties will be free of indebted
ness within the next 20 years
while more than half that numbe
already have become debt free, R
Gregg Cherry, Democratic nomi
nee for governor, told the Nortf
Carolina Association of County
Commissioners and its affiliated
organizations here tonight.
Cherry spoke at a banquet staged
Jointly by the commissioners and
the associations of county &C
countants and tax supervisors.
Each organization also elected Of
fcers for the coming year.
Much of the indebtedness &C
eumulated during the spendthrift
days following the last world war
is now being iquidated by county
governments, Cherry a d. cat
present, all are apparently able to
meet their debt payments with
reasonable pronaptness.'
The outstanding bonded indebted
ness of all counties on June 30,
1914, was $4,000, 600, Cherry said.
Retirement of bonds in the 66
counties would represent 80 per
cent Of the precent indebtedness,
or roughly s90,000,000 he said.
He said that IS per cent of the
existing bonded Indebtedness Of the
z4:a. ,r,e ;,o,,rraJ n r roads
and bridges. This type Of debt no
longer will be incurred by tn e.
counties however, he said, since
the state has assumed the burden
OF such expenditures.
Turning to state policy of ad-
ministering the public roads sys-
TEN, Cherry called for more con-
troll and supervision on the part
of local governments"
After 1881, when the state took
over construction and maintenance
of all roads, there has been a
steady and growing policy of at
least partially, if not wholly. lg-
noring the wishes and will OF
county commissioners in road mat
ters. It does little good for the
highway commissioners to provide
by statute that all complaints and
petitions of local citizens shall be
presented to the respective county
commissioners for their considera-
tion-if, at later date, the high
way commissioner of that district
or the commission as whole shall
completely ignore the decision OF
the county commissioners
1t should be the definite policy
of the state to construct roads in
Dictated by the choice or priority
adopted by the county commission
ers. he said.
He praised h commissioners,
accountants and ia supervisors
for their splendid service rem
dered toward the furtherance OF
heard efficient local government.
Earlier, the triple convention
addresses by Charles M. Johnson,
state treasurer and director Of the
local government commission, and
Albert Coates, director of the In
stitute of Government OF the Uni
versity of North Carolina.
S. Max Washburn, chairman OF
the Cleveland County Board, was
elected president OF the associa-
ton succeeding J. Henry Vaughan
of Nash County. John P. Swain,
chairman OF the. Wake County
Board, was elected vice president
to succeed Washburn, and John L.
Skinner of Warren County, was re-
elected secretary-treasurer.
The convention adopted resolu-
tons urging expansion of facilities
for the care of the insane and
feeble-minded, and to provide more
facilities for the care of tubercu-
losis patients opposing the con-
tinuance of the current merit sys-
tenn, because it has taken away
the power Of the county commits
sioners to regulate salaries of well
fare workers" to urge the 1945
general assembly to take such
action as necessary to enable the
counties to levy IS cents on the
500 valuation for poor relief; to
eliminate regulations which re-
quire the taking of t h e county
farm census by the county tax SUI
pervisor and to accept member
ship in the National Association of
County Commissioners. l