Arizona citizen., 1878-11-16
THE CITIZEN.
SATURDAY. NOVEMBER l6. 1878
Some Arizona Roads.


 Good roads are an indispensable necessity ton country. After the rail road, they do about as much to help on new section as any other one thing. It is not every man who can build a good road, however, any more than every one can run a hotel, though about ninety-nine people in & hundred think they are regular experts or sharps '" at the business. IL is not our intention in this article to go deep into the en- gineering science and show how a road should be built, with proper grades, slopes, curves, drainage, &c.. &c., but it Is merely our purpose to show, by quoting some Arizona illus trations, how a road cannot be built.
 The last Legislature went quite ex- ltensively into the operations of road building, appointing Commissioners, issuing bonds on the faith and credit lof various counties, and laying out new routes for travel and freight. And just here, let us offer up sincere and hearty thanks that Pima county is so blessed with good natural roads as 10 require no assistance from the SOlOns of the Territory in solemn legislature assembled Over in Maricopa county there is a town called Phenix, which, by the way, can, when called upon, poll an astonishing vote, that is very ambitious and wants not only to be- the political centre of Arizona, but also a central point towards which all travel must tend. This Is laudable ambition and the worthy Salt Riverites deserve credit for their good intentions. The last Legislature was kind to Phe- nix, very kind in fact, in allowing the County of Maricopa and the Territory of Arizona to issue bonds for the pur- pose of building roads as follows:
 l. From Phenix to Globe City;
 2. From Phenix to Yuma by way of Agua Caliente;
 3. From Phenix to Prescott via Wickenberg;
 f From Phenix to Black Canon and Swilling's Ranch.
 Well, the Commissioners appointed by the Legislature went dnly to work, issued the bonds, made contracts, &c, &c., and now comes a grand jury that sudaciously looks after these roads somewhat, and reports 10 the court substantially thus:
 In regard to the road from Phenix 10 Globe: Little or no evidence has been made as 10 the progress made on the road to Globe City. It appears that the work is being carried on in a private manner, unGer the supervision of one of the Commissioners and that the funds have been nearly exhausted" :"
 For the road to Wickenberg there was but one bidder, who got the con tract but was not required to enter into bonds. The road built instead of be ing suitable for large and heavy teams to travel, as was stipulated, is said 10 be impracticable; that no teams have been or can travel over ii, and in short, that it is an utterly worthless piece of property and the $500 in bonds paid for it is a total loss.
 On the third road the grand jury find that the Commissioners were par tial to Col. Woolsey in letting him build the road without entering into contract, in his giving no bonds and in permitting no one else to have ar opportunity to bid on the road.
 On the Black Canon road the man whose bid was accepted testified that his bid was made up by one of the Commissioners and that after two of three members of the Board examined lhe road and reported il not con- pleted according to contract, it was nevertheless accepted, and the road is no better than the old one.
 The grand jury concludes by saying !" that the money appropriated has been injudiciously expended and not for the best interests of the county, and that the manner in which the money was expended does no credit to their (the Commissioners,) business sagacity or to their honesty as public officials" How nice that is,
 Up Tn YavapaI county there is an other town called Prescott, which some of our readers have possibly heard about, which is full of road builders. To help these deserving men out, $35,OO0 was appropriated by the. last Legislature to build a road from Prescott to Bradshaw City. First, there was survey 70 be made and in the blandest possible way the au- thorities gave the surveying contractl Ito the highest bidders, who at once proceeded to set stakes right along the old trail, in a manner no doubt very acceptable to themselves. This line of course met with the approval ot the eminent engineers who were bossing the job. and they let contracts at once