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t* It THE CHRONICLE You Don’t Got Tfco Now*. • ^ . V. , , v i' v r ■V \ ^ ■ ;' * ' • irfaf 1 : VOLUME XXV SITUATIONJFULLY EXPLAINED ke-Cha^lUuui By J. F, JACOBS. SR., V j Laurens County Highway Con. ' Judging from artklaf appearing from' time to time in the Laurens county papers, there is considerable misapprehension in regard to the ques tion of road building and mafttenance in LaUrens county. This article is in- teded to clarify the situation for the Lqurens county public. In Lai lurens county we have* three authorities dealing with road matters. The State Highway Department has a state systein in the county pf about 125 miles. The maintenance of all roads on the state system is in the hands of the maintenance department of the State Hfehway Commission. Neither the supervisor’s office, nor the Laurens County Highway Com mission have anything to do with the State Highway Department system of roads in Laurens County. These roads are Piedmont highway, Kinards to Fountain Inn; Princeton-Laurens highway from Laurens to Princeton; Spartanburg-Laurens-Greenwood high way from Endree to the Thos. W. Cothran Memorial bridge on the Salu da; the Calhoun highway from near Whitmire to the Thos. Cothran Memorial bridge; the Laurens-Cross Hill road with its extension to Vaughnsville; the Jacobs highway from Musgrove Mill on Enoree river to Belfast. The second authority is the super visor's office. The supervisor con trols the chain gangs and is charged with the maintenance of roads and bridges in Laurens county other than state roads and bridges. $52,000 was appropriated last year to the super visor’s office for this purpose. The sum, however, appears to be insuffi cient for proper maintenance- and many bridges are either out of com mission, or are very dangerous. The chain gangs are not efficient for maintenance. They woutd be im mensely efficient for first class road construction if they were under the county engineer. However, there is no county engineer for the supervis or’s office, and the supervisor’s work, is not done under an engineer.' The fund of $52,000 is now either ex hausted or practically exhausted, and the supervisor is asking the county delegation to authorize additional funds for the remainder of the year Commission to borrow $30,000 to con tinue road construction. At the last meeting of the general assemDly the delegation issued no bonds, although a $60,000 bond issue was supported by the' house delega tion, but opposed in the senate, and for that reason failed. The delegation did, however* furnish to the Laurens County Highway Commission the 2c per gallon gasoline tax which comes to Laurens county, estimated V to amount to $41,00<k and authorised the borrowing, against the tax of $36,00(1 There remains yet to be borrowed it a possible source of immediate in come 170,000 additional against the $100,000 agreement for re-imburee- ment by the State Highway Depart ment That sum may be enlarged on the engineer’s report showing more than $100,000 of value to be re-ira- b^rsed on the sections built since the “pay-as-you-go” act wept into effect. To sum up, the Lattrehs County Highway Commission had originally the proceeds of the $260,000 bond is sue. Later secured about $54,000 of that "spent, or pledged to be spent for the State Highway Department, returned by the Style Highway Com mission to Laurens County Highway Commission in cash or excused from payment. Later received $41,000 gas tax for this year, against which $36,- 000 has been realized by borrowing against the tax; also received about $1,400 of the old commission’s money appropriated for new commission pur poses by the last general assembly, and has received $30,000 ordered by the county delegation to be borrowed against the new $100,000 re-imburse- ment. The Laurens County Highway Commission has therefore had about $323,000 to operate upon, with which it has built the Calhoun highway, Woodruff Bridge-Gray Court road, Cold Point-Mt. Olive road; completed the Spartanburg-Laurens-Greenwood road; built the Jacobs highway, and is now about half way through with the Wa^ta Mill-Yarborough road, and has built about two miles on the Laurens- Union- road as Tar as Brand, and about a mile' and a quarter on the Clinton-Lanford road as far as Beard’s Fork, and has applied a small fund for drainage material for the Milton road. It will be seen from the above that CLINTON, S. C., THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1925 tens ftwoTN His request to the delegation contem- v plated a fund of some $70,000, but in stead $52,000 wys appropriated, in cluding $9,000 for township mainten ance. Tottmhip Rot/roads i The third authority in road con ptruction in Laurens county is tht Laurens County Highway Commission. It is not charged with road mainten ance, nor bridge maintenance, but is only charged with construction of roads, and whs originally erected to spend the $250,000 bond issue, some- timeS knawn as the Calhoun Highway Bond Issue, as that was the principal item involved. It proceeded to spend the sum resulting from that bond is sue, amounting to about $256,000, and built with that sum the Calhoun high way, the completion of the Spartan- the Laurens County Highway Com mission b*d no appropriation from the delegation, other than the origi nal'appropriation of $250,000 and re imbursement secured from the state . thereon, the $1,400 of the old com mission’s balance and $36,000 borrow ed against the gfcs tax, and the $30,- 000 recently borrewed against re-im- bursement. The cost of construction has been very low, and the quality very high owing to the remarkable efficiency of the commission’s engineer, Mr. P. F. Patton, and owing to the policy of the commission to require rights of way and top soil privileges before build- iig. ’ 0 • . The question has been raised by c ne member of the county delegation fy\\ (jounkj Boundary Un*s ;; ‘ia boundary Linet Rivers and Creeps ’Towns O bridges d fords Highways CompLotod Hoads to be built under County wide improvement plan blP'roved County fjitfutap built or huilcti nf Old country roads 'Jjyures renresont.frumbof* sf- nules berovy i rni/i J No*. rmreen road intersections iy /9ZZ3 ♦ A burg-I^urens-Greenwood highway, the j in regard to the policy of the com- ■Gray Court-Woodruff bridge road, and 1 mission adopting the Gray Court- the Cold Point-Mt. Olive road. Princeton road. Cross Hill-Belfast If % Ip doing this construction it enter ed inte agreement with the State • Highway Department covering the building from Mountville to Saluda river, and also jointly with Green wood county for the-building of the Thos*. W. Cothran Memorial bridge at the Saluda river. Before the comple tion o4 those projects, owing to very vigorous efforts of the Laurens Coun ty Highway Commission, the State Highway Commission was induced to excuse the Laurens County Highway Commission fronypaying $54,00^. on * those projects, or their payment to be returned to Laurens county, except partial engineering costs, on project from Mountville to Saluda river, amounting to about $11,000. The money thus returned to the Laurens County Highway Commission was cred for construction of the Musgjove Mill-Belfast road, known as the Ja cobs highway. This road was origi nally planned by the old highway commission and was surveyed to Clin ton hut never built until the present ’ Laurens County Highway Commission took up the matter and built it. The Laurens County Highway Commission conceived the idea and carried it into execution through its committee on re imbursement, assisted by members of the county delegation of securing the re-imbursement agreement^ from the State Highway Commission on all of vttae Work done on .the Calhoun high way and Laurens-Greenwood highway v after the “pay-as-you-go” act went into effect, and have finally i&cured a resolution from .the State Highway Department, agreeing to re-unburse to a minimum/ degree of $100,000. However, engineers are at work esti- mating, and it may be that the sum will run above $160,000. Against this Tc-imbursement understanding the Laurens county delegation recently au thorized the Laurens County Highway Princeton road, Cross road, Clinton-I,anford road and Lau- rens-Union road foFConstru~tion. The writer when soliciting, together with h committee from Laurens county, an appropriation to continue the high- vay construction of the county, asked the members of the house ; delegation whether they wished to designate the leads to be built, and the committee was tpld that the delegation did not wish to designate. One member of the delegation, however, had certain pref erences. The writer endeavored to carry those preferences through in a resolution in the Highway Commis sion, but the resolution failed. Later another resolution was put through, adopting the four roads above men tioned, and work was started on two of them, rights of way and top soil privileges having been secured on a third, and almost all of them secured on the fourth, also taking up the Watts Mill-Yarboroughs Mill road. Two members of the delegation at present stand for designating the roads to be built. The Laurena Coun ty Highway Commission has taken no position on the matter. The job of designating is a dangerous one as long as funds are limited, and will make anybody unpopular who has the re sponsibility. — It is the view of tjie Highway Com mission that the delegation should net stop a road once it is started nor direct the gang work, but since the Highway Commission can only oper ate with funds authorized by the dele gation, and canuot borrow without the {Relegation’s authority against the re- irobuAdments which it has won from the State Highway Department, the responsibility for the decision lies wtyh the delegation. . Should the dele gation decide to designate thS roads to be built, then all the hearinga^given fhc of the county, will have no weight or effect. Should the matter be left in the hands of the Highway Commission determine upon the roads which are most important, and to build them as it thinks they ought to be built, the Highway Commission will use its best intelligence and its most conscientious and careful judgement, and will give weight to the views of the county delegation. In a general way it may be stated that the commissioners are favorable to county-wide good roads develop ment. All but one of the commis sioners are favorable to a bond issue of $500,000 and to early expansion of the work. The writer has for a long time stood for county-wide good roads, and is eager to see every section of the rounty developed writh good roads. It has been stated that the present commission has done most of its work in the lower part of the county. That statement is liable to be misunder- ytood. The lower part of the county had larger areas without roads, at the time the $250,000 bond issue was passed. That issue provided for two roads in thefMpper part of the«county, f.ne through the center, and a long one through the lower part, wnd with re imbursement money another road through Scuffletown and Hunter townships was built. For a long time the lower part of the county was be hind the upper part of the county in good roads development. Just npw it has a little edge on the u'pper part of the county, and any additional pro jects to be added, to the present pro gram would ioettide a liberal treat ment for the upper part'of the county This the Highway Commission un questionably will do if the matter is rot taken out of their hands by the delegation. Tjie Highway Commission ^ has granted many courteous and consider ate hearings to delegations frpm all over the county, and they know the situation fully, and they contemplate meeting it whenever the county dele gation supplies Uie means with which to do the construction. If the dele gation designates the roads to be built then upon the delegation will fall the responsibility in case the more im portant roads, the most needed roads, are not given first consideration. However, as the commission has ex hausted the funds which were origi nally entrusted to its care, by vote of the people, it now depends fob further funds upon action of the delegation. Co-ordiaation of the delegation and the Highway Commission views in a progressive policy would be extreme ly desirable, and ia highly probable. very decided differences of opinion, the delegation has usually fome to meet the commission’s viewpoint, and there has been on major matters hearty co-operation. The Highway Commission has, never refused to be directed by the delegation, as the funds must come through the delega tion. However, it is questionable whether it is wise for the delegation the direction of where gangs shall of Clinton. Addition of a road down the ridge between Reedy river and Walnut Creek by Poplar Springs church. Addition of a road from Alma up the ridge between the two Rabuns to the Greenville line. With the addi tion of these roads to the map, the dotted lines on the map would show every road which has been asked for early date—in two or three years—a county-wide good roads system. Certain members of the Highway Commission are favorable to a con- -olidation cf the Highway Commission and the supervisor’s authority, having a unit authority on all roads other than state roads. The supervisor, however, has not given in his adher- to assume executive authority, as in county. The dotted lines show pro- by any group of citizens in Laurens ence to this viewpoint at the time of ucsed improvement of old routes ex work, or wise to bring to naught thelcept occasionally where cut-offs are action of the Highway Commission , made to save distance, and afford de- pus committees from different parts • 1 -~ ti k W i W'lfl by the Highway Commission to vari-, difficult to get joint meetings of the I wish to say that while it.has been two bddies, and while there have bee: in adopting for construction certain roads. No doubt the commission and the delegation will thresh these matters out to some conclusion at an early date. It is uncertain whether the delegation will stand for designaUng the roads or not* Two members T>f the delegation are clearly for that policy. Up to this time the other two have ijot been heard from on the sub ject. The writer seriously doubts whether the delegation when fully as sembled will take the attitude that they should direct the Highway Com mission and the details of their work to the extent of designating the roads to be built or overruling the >■ com missions selection of roads . The three members of the house delegation seem to be in favor of the $500,000 bond issue, but in favor of putting it to referendum at the next primary election. The senator’s atti tude is not fully known, but it is highfy probable that if he agrees to the $500,0P0 bond issue it will be on the condition of the referendum, leav ing -it to the people finally to decide the question. The people will almost certainly disapprove of the bond issue unless expression is given to the fair distribution of roads. The delegation has never taken up the county as a whole to consider how the roads should be distributed to take care of all parts of the county. The Highway Commission has never adopted a county-wide good roads plan because it has never had the funds with which to put it into exe cution. The Laurens County Good Roads Association, however, has with the cooperation of the Commercial Club of Clinton, and a committee from the Laurens Business League, assisted still further by advice from all parts of the county, developed a roads map, which appears in this issue. This road map, however, itself is not com plete as certain other roads have been applied for which are not included in the map, and involves changes as fol lows: Correction of road from Milton to Goldville, making it more direct. Change of Cold Point road to Pied mont highway so as to bring it into Mill instead of two miles w$st nj Ly^ia velopment of every section of Lau rtns county without preference. Such a map, if adopted by the High way Commission and the county dele gation, subject to slight changes to meet community views, would be an immensely popular proposition for the county at large, and probably secure 80 per cent to 90 per cent of the vote or a referendum. Nearly everybody is for county-wide good roads, and nearly every section is willing to vote for roads in other sections, provided they are to get the roads which they want in their own sections. The Lau rens County Good Roads Association has suggested a $500,000 bond issue. The Laurens County Highway Com mission has approved of the $500,000 lKind issue, to which would of course be added the re-imbursement money coming from the South Carolina High way Commission, which would probab- Ij bring the sum pp to $600,000, ulti mately after the survey is completed. The Highway Commission lias pro posed that instead of raising taxes to retire the $500,000 of bonds and pay interest on same, that the gas tax be used for that purpose as far as necessary. The gas tax, $41,000 a year-at present, would not be wholly ronsnmed in paying interest on the bonds and retirement of the bonds, if the bonds are made forty year bonds. Forty year bonds bring a higher price and would permit of a longer time in retirement than thirty year bonds. There is some opposition to long term bonds, but forty year bonds would yield more money for construct ion, and afford a longer period for re tirement of the bonds, and a smaller total sum would have to be paid into the sinking fund than would be neces sary for the retirement of thirty year bonds. Only about $260,000 would ever have to be paid into the sinking fund to retire $500,000 of bonds if they are forty year bonds. The ac cruals of interest at 5 per cent would make up the balance. The Highway Commission’s plan of using a portion of the gaa tax to take care of the bonds would result in no increase in the tax levy, which would ha'A very desirable consideration to the people of the county, but wouM^gtvn^al yn this writing. Newberry has such a plan in operation, the supervisor being chief executive of the Highway Com mission. In that county, however, the commission consists of nine township members, while in the Laurens County Highway Commission there are five members besides the chairman. The addition of more members would not add to thenefficiency of the commis sion. However, there is a large sec tion of Laurens county that is not represented in the commission—the western section, and the addition of an able man from that section would certainly not. be objectionable, and might be regarded as desirable. The supervisor should be given a vote in the commission. It Is to be hoped that public senti ment will concentrate on a pracitcal plan, and q? there seems to be but one plan that has any detail to it—that of the Laurens County Good RoacTs Association, endorsed for the most part by the Laurens County Highway Commission, that plan will at least serve as a working basis for the coun ty delegation, should the delegation decide to designate routes, and tirput through a $500,000 bond issue, subject to referendum, or otherwise for carry ing out a countrywide good roads plan. Changes might be made, but there are few cases where changes could be made to advantage, as the map shows a very thorough distribu tion of roads, and the important old routes are the roads given ^considers- tion in all cases. Notice State of South Carolina, County of Laurens. Notice is hereby given that a meet ing of the stockholders of Adair- Sumerel, Inc., will be held on Friday, December 5th, 1925, at ten o’clock A. M. for the purpose of applying to the Secretary of State for a Surrender of Charter and wiading up the affairs of said corporation and its dissolu tion. E. J. ADAIR, President. Clinton, S. C. November 5, 1925. / 12-4-5tc if \ 'JZ