Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-01-26
There's Plenty of Money in
the Office,
WE MUST GET 1T OUT.
What Investigation Discloses Re
garding the Work of the
Road Overseers.


after they become county roads. The
minor roads crossing these three we'll
travelled highways were traversed and
thoroughly inspected. The area covered
embraced in part the Vernon, Florence
and Centinela road districts; but the
most particular attention and the greater
area of work examined was in the
Florence district. The road overseer OF
this district is R. w. Duncan. 1t will be
remembered that Mr.. Duncan expended
$2,s5l.97 of the peoples money last
wear in road work.
Before giving in detail the condition Of
New Main street and Vermont avenue,
the cross roads leading from the main
thoroughfares may be punched as a
whole. as one is but repetition of the
others. They are all in exceedingly bad
condition, except now and then one
which is but little travelled and natu-
raj road. None of them have
been worked, at least not of late
wears, and the teams worry over them in
wet weather and jolt over the ragged
bubbles in the dry season. The cross
road leading to Green Meadows is all
but impossible when the rains fall, and
when dried up is as rough and rugged as
the famous rocky road to Dublin. South
of the Ballona railroad track, east of
Main street, the road is sadly out OF
repair and becomes an extensive
muck hole with moisture. One
of the ranchers who has considerable
acreage in this locality said that he did
not know of any work having been done
on the roads in that section during the
past three years. -Four years ago, he
said, some work had been done in his
neighborhood, but not any since. The
farmers about had thrown dried weeds,
straw, etc., on the roads where bad
places we're, and the overseer
had not even spread these dust
allayers about. 81 have heard"
concluded the farmer, "that some con-
siderable work had been done on the
Main street road and in and about
Florence. I also hear that considerable
money was expended by the road over
seer last year, but 1 have not kept track
of it, nor have seen any work done by
which it could be spent"
The Vermont avenue road does not
look as though any work had been done
on it during the year past. After leav-
ing Vernon avenue the road grows worse
and worse, until the higher or mesa
lands are reached. The road was
originally graded hundred feet
wide. For seven miles or more
of it's length are laid the unused rails of
the dummy railroad. This is him
drance, of course, in making good road.
It is also an excuse for not making one.
The residents along the line say that the
.Ez l. -,
once in a while, and that is ALL" At all
events the rails in the center of the high
way leaves that portion to the weeds and
grass, while on either side, for three or
four miles, the road pitches down to the
the plodding hoofs of the horses
reached, and here the demands of travel,
the washing rains and the fierce sun
have left a stretch of road which in foul
weather is simply impossible. From
this point the road on the west side has
been forsaken, and no plough or shovel of
the roadmaster has disturbed its rugged
surface for at least a twelvemonth.
Still further the road on the east
side has been abandoned and for
mile or more, the farmers and teamsters
have encroached upon the adjacent land
and worn road, which without grade or
work, is far superior to the one which the
road-overseer keeps in repair, or is sup
posed to. Leaving this section
Of the Vermont avenue road,
its continuance and condition is,
as before stated, just as the passing
wheels have made it. One of the ranch
ers on the line of the road, whose we'll
titled acres betoken his thrift and char
acter, was free to talk about the roads.
He said: "Little work is done on the
roads hereabouts, and that. little is very
lily and very extravagantly done.
The roadmaster charges the very highest
prices for teams and for labor and
yery little work is done by them in day.
The overseers seek the Office for the
money they can make out of it, and not
with the intention of fairly earning it by
making good roads. Why, overheard
one overseer say to another: There's
nlenty of money in the Office, we must
get it out" That is the spirit
that animates them as rule.
Plenty of money is appropriated
for the road fund, quite enough to keep
the roads in good repair; but it is extrav-
ayantlv expended and the roads, as con-
sequence, remain untitled for travel"
Leaving Vermont avenue and taking a
cross-road that was so hubby and rutted
that a team cannot be driven over it
faster than walk, the HERALD's special
commissioner entered the new Main street
road. No road could be in worse
state than this is until within half or
mile or so of the railroad track. He had
heard numerous complaints OF its bad
condition and of the almost inpossibility
of travelling over it with heavy teams in
the wet weather, but was unprepared to
find such vile road. The grade for
number of miles is along a fiat
of alkaline clay or black adobe. The
east side of the road is long length
of high, hard ridges thrown up during
the last rains by the heavily-laden
teams. The west eide of the road has
been somewhat packed down, but is a
succession of humps, ridges, chuck holes
and ruts. A few miles from the boun-
Diary line of the city there is a regular
slough of despond for the teamster. For
q mile pools of water lie on either side of
the road awaiting a heavy fall OF
rain to convert the roadway into an ex-
panse of water. Not only is this road a
disgrace to the county, but it is also a
strikingexample of the wasteful expend-
iture OF the road fund. Some time last
wear this road was worked and
thrown up at, naturally, great cost.
From a lack of knowledge, prob