Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1893-11-10

| volunteered to Dulld Il house, or
barn, or to plow, or fence, or other.
wise improve the land, the owner
would be quick to accept the offer
Idaho county is an undeveloped
farm, on large scale, which is
lying idle and unproductive be-
cause of its inaccessible and bot.
tled-up condition; and when the
State volunteers to eXpend S35 ,00G
to open up roads, make it accessi-
ble and improve its value, we
the poor owners, hesitate to accept
the offer, and we say in effect, that
we do not want our farm improved
and will not cooperate to carry
out the projected Improvements.
This course is all wrong, and
short-sighted in the extreme. The
expenditure of the $50 900 of State
money, if supplemented by coun-
ty expenditure of from $4,000 tO
$4,000 more, will build good wa
gon roads over ten per cent grades
to Elk City and to Salmon Mea-
dows. The building of these roads
would, in very short time double
the amount of taxable property III
the county, double its population
and start it on the road to progress
and prosperity. If we do not soon
avail ourselves of the State appro-
priations they will be lost forever,
and then the task of building these
roads will not only be postponed
indefinitely, but the entire cost of
constructing them will be saddled
upon the county treasury. Why
not take hold and build these roads
next year, in 1894, while the bulk
of the money is offered by the
State? and when the disbursement
of this large sum for labor, etc,
would be most beneficial to the
people of this county and State?
We know the financial condition
of Idaho county and of it's people
better than anybody, and it is with
a due sense of the responsibility
involved in its adoption that we
submit for the public consideration
a distinct policy for the county
government to pursue in this mat
ter of cooperating with the State
authorities to build the Elk City
and Little Salmon divisions while
the State appropriations are avail
able. According to the provisions
of the State law governing these
appropriations, each branch must
be entirely and completely built
from start to finish, according to
the surveys and specifications made
by the State engineers, for the sum
set apart for its construction.
Thus, the Elk City branch must be
built for $4,000, and the Little Sal
mon division for $27, 900. AS a
matter of fact the roads cannot be
built for these sums, and unless our
county commissioners take hold of
the matter and cooperate with the
State authorities the appropriations
will be lost to lis forever. Here is
our proposition:
Let the county commissioners at
their next January or April ses-
sion instruct the clerk to advertise
for bids for the construction of the
Elk City and Little Salmon roads
according to surveys and specifiea-
tions made by the State engineer,
said bids to be opened at July ses-
sion, the commissioners reserving
right to reject any and all bids,
and requiring all bidders to give
good and acceptable bonds that
if awarded contracts they will also
contract with the State Wagon
Road Commission to complete the
roads for the amount of the State
appropriation specified for each;
and specifying further that the
roads must be accepted and paid
for by the State.authorities before
the county shall incur any obliga-
tions in the matter. Thus the
county will be doubly protected
first, by being assured ofgood roads
surveyed over good grades by the
best civil engineers in the State;
and second, by having only the
surplus cost of construction over
and above the amount of the State
appropriations to pay. The State
Road Commission will also adver.
tise simultaneously for bids for the
same purpose, and specifying con.
ditions as to time and manner o
payments, etc, for the information
of bidders, SO that matters will bt
greatly simplifed. In fact, if Mr.
Telcher is authorised by his col
leagues on the State Road commits
sion to make contracts for work il
this county, all the contracts, botl
with the county and the State, fol
the building of both roads can b,
let at the July session and worl
commence Immediately thereafter
An active contractor could com
plete the Elk City branch by Nov
1, and the Little Salmon division
during the winter, SO that by Jan
uary l, 1895, both roads would b,
accomplished facts.
Provided, however, that the cos
to the county is not too great. Jus
| what this cost will he no one car