The record-union., 1893-10-17
To-DAY's CONVENTION.

The County Road Convention meets at
the Art Gallery at l P. NJ. to-day. 1t ought
to be largely attended.
Whoever examines into the questions to
full knowledge of the benefits perma-
nent roads confer, must arrive at these
conclusions: That we need at once at
least five main or trunk highways con-
centering at this city; that they should be
permanent roads, because such are the
most economic; that TO build them is to
save money, augment trade, enhance
values and better both agricultural and
city conditions.
They will arrive at the conclusion also
that now is the best time to begin the
work; that it should be done at general
cost, since it is for general good; that to
do the work well it must be done by
skilled road builders and after the best
models.
To do the work as whole will enable
it to be done more cheaply by employ
ment of the most improved road building
machinery. To accomplish this the
money should all be in hand at one time.
That involves securing it upon county
credit for long term. To do so will put
among residents. and will relieve local
financial stringency and give work to our
unemployed citizens-no other than per-
manent residents being employed, and
preference being given to men of family,
and to farmers with teams and wagons
unemployed at this time.
To this scheme there is but one objec-
ton that can be urged with any force,
and that is, that it is wiser to pay as wego,
and that bond issue means an output for
interest. The response is that doing with
out the roads involves greater loss by
far than the sum of the interest.
Suppose we raise S25O.OOO by direct tax
on all property in the county, we pay
greater interest upon that sum than if we
borrowed it. since the value of the money
to each taxpayer is greater than the cost
of borrowing?
Moreover, we are to build, not for the
present, but for the future, and it is,
therefore, no more than right that those
to come after US and enjoy the fruit of our
planting should bear portion of the bur-
den. precisely as we of to-day are paying
in part for the improvements projected
and begun by the generation that pre-
ceded US.
Sacramento County has expended in
ten years S366, 900 on her roads. 1t was
raised, in greater part, upon agricultural
property. What Sacramento has to show
for the outlay to-day is well known to
ali who travel the county roads.
To build now five twelve-mile stretches
of $4,000 trunk roads, under engineering
supervision and by contract and specifi-
cation to guard against i'll administration,
will give US benefits five-fold exceeding
interest and principal in conserved econ
emy, increased values, augmented trade
and town and agricultural betterment.
The sum of S25O,OOO at 3 per cent. for
the constitutional term of forty years,
will, to pay interest and principal, call for
S18,75O from about S3l, 100000 assessed
values. The present road tax of % cents
upon agriculture alone calls in $40, 900 a
year, from about SIS, 5000, 900 of assessed
values. But suppose one-third of the
$4,000 used shall be called in for roads
outside of the new trunk lines constructed
and we have this result:
Cost annually for the new system. SIS $50
Add Tor OLD 10,OOO
Add cost of maintenance of new sys-
tenn 4,OOO
ro+o, So 75O
Cost of present system 45, 1000
But, as matter of fact, we need not
pay interest upon $3.50, 900 for forty years,
since the bonds can be called in at peri
ods of five years, in equal amounts, so
that the S1s,75O year will steadily de-