ECONOMIC SURVEYS OF COUNTY HIGHWAY IMPROVEMENT. 45 
what was left of the bond issue to macadamize the most important 
roads. 
Following the first bond issue, two of the districts, Gladesville and 
Richmond, voted $130,000 each in order to macadamize the roads 
which had been graded and to build a few additional miles. 
The economic conditions in Wise County are rather exceptional, 
as the chief industry is coal mining; and the mineral lands, coal and 
iron, constitute about half of the assessed valuation of the county. 
There are 34 coal-mining plants, employing in the aggregate about 
9,000 men. Agriculture is not extensively practiced, and the prod- 
uots, which are principally corn, oats, hay, potatoes, and sorghum 
cane, are small in volume. Some orchard fruits are produced, and 
dairying and poultry raising are engaged in on a small scale. The 
county is well supplied with railroads, and as its principal output is 
from the mines, comparatively little tonnage is hauled over the public 
roads. The county, which has an area of 420 square miles, is quite 
mountainous, and the soil is not productive, except at the bottom of 
the narrow valleys along the streams. This rough topography causes 
road construction to be very expensive, on account of heavy grading. 
(See Pl. XVIII.) Moreover, a large portion of the surfacing material 
must be transported by rail or by long wagon haul. The mining 
interests are paying the larger part of the costs of the road system, 
and in judging of the returns to the county from an economic stand- 
point it should be borne in mind that while the value of the road 
system to agriculture is slight, the corresponding burden upon agri- 
cultural property, by reason of the help of the mining interests, is also 
comparatively light. | 
The economic studies in Wise County were made during the months 
of March, 1911, March, 1912, May, 1913, May, 1914, and a short study 
in October, 1915. 
HOW THE IMPROVEMENT WAS FINANCED. 
The issue of county bonds dated February 1, 1911, brought a 
premium of 2 per cent, while the two district bond issues dated March _ 
1, 1913, were sold at.par. Thus the total amount realized from the 
bond issues was $974,000. 
All the bonds bear interest at the rate of 5 per cent, and are issued 
for 30 years with options to retire at the end of 20 years. The law 
provides that a levy of not to exceed 90 cents on the hundred dollars 
shall be assessed for the purpose of paying interest and creating a 
sinking fund to retire the bonds. The present tax for this purpose 
is 45 cents for the $700,000 county bond issue and 20 and 25 cents, 
respectively, for the district bonds in Richmond and Gladesville 
districts. 
