Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-01-30
our Roaa. once More.


other screed from our Road Commits
sioner, showing the state of our county
thoroughfares in another portion of Los
Angeles county. 1t is decidedly in the
same vein as foregoing accounts. He
finds little of an encouraging nature
anywhere.
There will also be found in our columns
this morning an exhaustive explanation
from Mr.. Venable, ex-Supervisor. This
capable gentleman's idea is that
only last year was there a large
road fund in the county. He also
thinks that much of the expenditures OF
last year were for work done in the pre-
vious year. He further finds fault with
the HERALD's balance-sheet from the
Supervisors Office because that exhibit
embraces a calendar, not fiscal year.
There is much that Mr.. Venable says
that is worthy of attention; but we
think he is in error on all three of these
points. We shall take pains to
turn to the books and show
Just what the levy for roads was
for the past three years. Mr.. Mason's
assessments for these years have
been anything but light. In old days
we had an assessment of from $40, ,000, 900
to $50, 100000. Mr.. Mason has had it
up to $S2,0o0,000. $97,O00,000 and
$1O7 10000 Nearly half the assessed
property of the county pays road taxes.
Last year the road tax was paid on
$45 ,OOO, 900, or twice as large a sum as
the total assessed value of the county
used to be. In those years of low as.
sessment there was ten to fifteen
cents on the 500 levied fol
road purposes. 1t may be said
we had no roads under that regime
True enough, but to most of the people
of the county whose knowledge of oul
affairs reaches back eight or nine yeari
it will not appear that we were much
worse off than we are now. Yet fol-
three years, if we remember correctly
we have been paying twenty to twenty
five cents on the SlO0 on a rate of assess
ment two, three or four times al
great as it was few years ago
We used to think 100000 &
large road tax to pay and get nothing fo
it. 1t need not then be considered
strange at all that, when we pay nearl.
$lOO, 900 into the treasury for road pur
poses and yet cannot find ten miles o
good road in the county, a restivenes
should seize upon the spirit of the average
taxpayer.
1t is not, and has not been, the animu
of the HERALD to reflect on the persona
conduct OF men who are innocent
But there remains the broad fac
that we are paying into the treasur.
such vast amounts of money for roa'
purposes, and yet that there are no goo'
roads in the county. The citizens wan
to know, and they will know, why this is
AS to the time covered by the exhibit
we do not see that it matters materially
The money has been raised for the pas
three years in liberal sums. Last yea
the sum was enormous. These sums ar
all spent. We are looking for the road
and fail to find them.
: Mr.. Venable says the system is vicious
We are sure it is. 1t is to rid the count
of SO vicious system that we raise
this issue. We re-echo our appeal to on
representatives at Sacramento to repea
the present law and to give US q system
under which we can get good roads il
lieu of the taxes we pay. The averag
citizen does not complain of the tax; hi
plant is as to the way of spending ii
He wants roads for his money. If it i
impossible to get roads under the presen
system let us get better system, ant
through that get better roads.