Los Angeles daily herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1884-1890, 1884-10-17
SUPERVISORS AND THE ROADS.
The People lndignant--Other Lo-
caItttes Aroused to Liberal Ac-


There is great dissatisfaction throughout
the county OF Los Angeles at the action of
the Supervisors In levying so small a road
tax. The farmers in all parts of the country
who are now hauling their crops to market,
and those who are visiting the annual fair
and races in this city, express themselves as
disguised with our public roads, and still
more disguised at the meager appropriation
by the Board of Supervisors for the care of
our roads and bridges. The roads have
never been placed in repair since last win
ter's storms, except ina cheap and wretched
manner in an occasional place. No guards
have been made at exposed places to keep
the water from running into the country
roads, which are generally lower than the
adjoining land, so that the roads are the beds
OF streams which wash away the better part of
the road bed and cause deep and dangerous
barrancas in the main track of the roads.
1t is far within the bounds of truth to say
that there are today one hundred miles of
public road in the county of Los Angeles
that are dangerous to travel on at night in
consequence of the barrancas and rocks
that have been left in them by the heavy
rains of last winter.
The levy of Z cents upon the hundred dol
lars levied by the Board will do but little
good. 1t might mend few roads, but the
county has many important roads that can
not be touched by such trihing appropria-
ton Supervisor Giroux proposed to make
the levy 10 cents, which would have done n
fair work, and made some roads and ap-
proaches to bridges, that would have stood
last and not have been washed away by the
first rains Of winter.
The county of Santa Barbara, with one
sixth the population of Los Angeles county
and less than one-sixth of its wealth, has by
its Board OF Supervisors levied tax of 80
cents on each hundred dollars for making
and mending the public roads. This action
ought to make our Supervisors blush Here
is the spectacle of the people OF a county OF
small population, and not oyerburdened
with wealth, levying ajax on themselves OF
more than live times that levied In the rich
county OF Los Angeles for the purpose of
making their roads safe and comfortable and
the country attractive. The Supervisors of
Santa Barbara are wise in doing So The
candidates for the Office of Supervisor, In
both political parties, should define
aud II any of them refuse to ell
dorse a thorough policy OF making and
mending the county roads he should be de-
feated by an overwhelming majority. II is
had nj least one good leading comfy road,
a convenience which il has not in all It's
borders which are nearly as large as the
State of Connecticut,
The great advantages of this county are
ceaselessly sung by the people and the press,
butunderneatht the lofty peans is low, harsh,
grating, unmusical wall, akin to a groan,
that comes from the victims of delay and
disaster from the dangerous and infamous
roads that lead all over the country, Every
day there are new victims of accidents along
the public streets and large volume OF
business is annually driven from the city
because the roads are so atrocious that pro-
ducers of wealth will not submit to the ag-
gravation of driving to the city, but seek
other places for transacting their CONNER
cial business. BY the County Government
Bill the Supervisors are clothed with in
creased power and can make roads If they
will whitley make them or disgrace the
county by continuance of the present sys-
tenn OF rude, dangerous COW -paths2