iir. H. B. Ayres, Mobile, Alabama.
Dear Harral:-
San Antonio, Texas January 25th, 1322
I appeared before the Highway Commission Monday and found that they had done exactly what I told Hr. Hubbard t. at they were doing at the December meeting when we were all there in a body. You probably remember that I told him that they had already allotea practically half of the last Federal appropriation and that they would more than likely allot the balance of it at the December meeting.
If you remember he told us they were not going to allot anything like all of it but would hold back practically £2,000,000 for the January meeting, but when the January meeting came.around they found they had allcted the entire appropriation and promised about £40,000 more than they had. The meeting Monday was quite a disappointment to the San Antonio-3rownsville division, more particularly Cameron end Jim Wells Counties. One of the County Commissioners from Jim 'Jells County was there representing his county and he told them it was just about what he expected} that he knew all along that J.im 'Jells wouldn't get £525,000 in it and that he told the people that before they voted the bonds and he guessed now that they would believe him hereafter instead of listening to some good roads booster that didn't have any property in his county and had nothing to lose.
If he could he would go back and order an election at once to vote the bonds off but the law is such in this state that he can't vote them off for two years.
I think there will be another Federal appropriation between now and June. I am go .ng to try and work out some scheme whereby Jim ,:ells can get at least £100,000 by the February meeting from some of the counties that have fallen down and this will enable us to push the Jim Wells proposition along and get some other route financed to connect with them.
Senator Parr turned us donn on the Duval County proposition and I don't want to be put in a position to have to fight the Senator or cross him in any way on account of the Highway Commissioners, but I am working on a schene that will probably be hatched out this week to get our route into San Diego regardless of Senator Parr.
Dr. Johnston is the best scout you ever saw and is on the job all the time and is ready to render any help that is needed anywhere in the United States on the Old Spanish Trail.
Liberty County carried her bond issue about four to one. The Ft. 3end County commissioners with one or two citizens went before the Highway Commission Monday to find out if they could get aid on £3=1^6 in "the event that they voted a county wide bond issue and took up their districts. They went home happy as can be and they assured rne that they could put theirs over but thought it advisable to wait thirty aays, that the tax-paying proposition had gotten practically all of them this month ana they thought it best to give them a little..'