The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1894-07-28
FOR BETTER ROADS.
Judge J. H. D. Grays Address at the
Farmers Institute.

men,
l was at a loss to understand why tht
originators of the Farmers Institute
should have selected one who, for NOR,
than thirty years has been engaged IL
nearly every capacity, from deckhant
to master, agent, and owner of steam.
ers, navigating first the waters of the
Frazer river, British Columbia, and Pu.
get Sound, then the waters Of the Col.
umbia river, from its mouth nearly to
the Salmon Falls of the Snake river, to
address you upon the subject Of wagon
roads in Clatsop county.
l was very strongly disposed to de-
cline the honor, but remembering that
L am now the servant of the people,
they have a right to know the views
of those whom they have placed in pos
itions Of honor and trust, appear be-
fore you to briefly state them
The peculiar topographic character Of
Clatsop county, Especially the most
populous portion, located upon a PENN.
sula surrounded by bays and rivers and
heavy TIMBER make the building Of
roads very serious and costly prob
lem; in fact ten miles, 1 believe is all
the prairie or open country that the
pioneer of 1874 found within its present
boundaries. But roads have been cut
through dense forests and bottomless
swamps.
In that year less than a dozen pion-
GERS took donation land claims along
these beautiful plains, built clapboard
houses to shelter their wives and little
ones, whom they had brought here
from Astoria in conoes, landing at Tan
zy point, and from there on horseback
around the beach to their homes.
The first wagon road was built in this
county in 1874, from the upper Skipanon
landing through dense woods to the
old Tibets or Ward farm, and I well
remember in 1876, when a boy, the an
xious moments as with frightened step
1 ran across the corduroy or pole
bridges one-fourth Of mile long, that
Solomon H. Smith, William Hobson,
John Hobson, George Somers, William
T. Perry. e. Trasks, Calvin Tibets, and
Thomas Owens, had spent months to-
build in 1Si4-5 For years afterward,
first brush and then sand was carried
from the hills on to the bridges until
what was an impossible swamp Is today
some Of the best road in the county. Il
am told that the poles covered with
water, sand and brush, are as sound
yet as ever. Ancient history, says some
of my tenderfeet friends, is very graft
flying to the pioneers and mossbacks,
but what are we to do at the present
time? Competition from California, the
Columbia and Willamette valleys, and
the settlers along the banks Of rivers
in Washington, for some reason, can
undersell us, and supply our merchants
and citizens with more than one-half
the farm products consumed in this
county.
There are many reasons for this con-
dition of affairs most of which other
speakers have fully informed you. But
transportation is the great expense
that farmer has to contend with,
whether he hauls his products in his
wagon, puts it in his boat, or steamer,
or places it upon the cars and sends
it to market, it is continuous charge
and tax upon him.
The question of paramount import
ance is how to secure the quickest and
cheapest transfer from the farmer to
the consumer, who finally pays the ex-
ira cost of delays and transportation.
Unquestionably good wagon roads,
from the farmer direct to market, is
much superior to all other transporta-
tion. How, then, to secure good wagon
roads, concerns not only the farmer,
but the consumer, and every citizen Of
the county. / am quite confident that
all will agree with me ON this PROPOSE
tion. But 1t costs money to build good
roads, and the interesb-bearing debt Of
Clatsop county is about $4,000, (our
state constitution limit is $5,OOO) with
assets of doubtful character for about
one-half that amount, resulting in dis
counts of county warrants of an aver
afe of ten per cent; therefore it is rea-
sonable to say that our monthly inter-
est is about $3.50 per month This
amount could be greatly reduced by
changing our state constitution so as
to allow the county to issue bonds,
which sell at much less rate of in
terest than we are compelled to pay
on county warrants, and save discount.
This matter earnestly hope will have
to the next legislature. The situation
must be met as we find it, and better
roads we must have; therefore, the pres
ent county court has thought best to
call road convention to meet in As,
toria on Tuesday, August 7th, 1894, for
the purpose of considering and recon-
mending to the county court the best
manner Of building and improving the
roads of this county.
The object Of the meeting is to unite
the people of the several districts IL
possible, upon the most economical and
at the same time permanent plan of
making good roads. The court has
recommended that each supervisor, to-
gether with the delegate to the road
convention, prepare memorandum OF
the total number of miles Of hill,
swamp. sand, gravel, pole or corduroy,
puncheon or plank road in their district;
also the location Of gravel, rock quarries