The Chronicle-star combined with the Moss Point advertiser., 1949-11-04
Ralk AT Increase
In State Gas Tax
Appears AT Meet

III TIC obdtc thAf VI CUT
slider which a special session Of
the Legislature was called by
Gov. Wright for Nov. Ia, evident
" will meet some sober oppo-
sition.
Rep. Hermes Gautier. Pasca-
goula, at a public meeting in the
courthouse Tuesday night, said,
81 am going to the session with
an open mind. But I can c some
objections now.
People In jackson county are
going TO object for three reasons.
One. the coast counties already
have an extra two cents. the sea
wall tax.
1.-TWO. it will be hard to con-
vince them that we need a coun-
ty road program before something
is done about the deplorable con-
dition of Highway 90.
Three, they will want some
assurance that something will ac-
tually be done in this county with
the extra money"
Great Unpaved Stretch"
Ben II. Valley, Greene county
representative, comes, he told the
meeting, from Leakesville. right
in the middle of that great un-
paved stretch of Highway g."
I'D like TO see something in
the proposed law" he stated, tell
ing the authorities where and
how to spend the extra money.
For Is years, we In Greene
county have been paying a gaso-
lire tax and have gotten nothing
In return. The new law had bet
fer be well explained at the ses-
sion or let them give us some bet
ter promises. The old ones have
run OUT"
The meeting, sponsored by the
supervisors association of the.
state. was one of many being held
throughout the state in the in
terest of the proposed increase,
which the association voted in
of at its recent convention.
County Share Good"
Edward A. Khayat. supervisor,
said he believes the | IA cents
of the increase that will 60 to the
counties is a good thing.
"The rural roads in our coun-
ty are far above average" he said
land many OF US don't realize
what conditions are elsewhere.
You will actually find places
where children have to go to
school in wagons because cars
can't pass over the roads.
I'm hoping. however. that the
Legislature will find some way TO
have the three-quarter cents that
will go TO the highway commits
sion sllocsted where IL is needed"
The meeting was opened by
Fred Moran, county supervisor
president. He introduced Mr.
Gautier, who conducted the meet
ing.
First speaker was c. l.. Barnett,
Starkville. president of the SUI
pervisors association. He ex-
planned that the group has en-
dorsed the increase because inn
provements in rural roads will
not only aid rural districts but
will build our cities and be to
the benefit of the entire state"
10 Per Cent Rural
Only one per cent of highway
expenditures, he said. have gone
to rural roads in the past IL years,
yet 70 per cent of the states pop
ulation lives in rural areas.
State Senator Bee McAlpin
of Mize. member of the sub-com-
mittee on legislation, pointed out
that for is years the people back
on the farm have been paying
taxes to build our great arterial
system, and now it's time we did
something for them"
r. o. Bickersiaff. Gulfpori. vice
chairman of the legislative high.
way plsnning committee. ex-
planned al length the investiqa-
ton conducted by the committee
and its search for a means to fl
nsnce a construction program.
We exhausted every resource
to find funds" he stated. I'VE
were told at every turn of the
way that there could be no money
diverted from the general fund.