The record-union., 1894-01-15
LETTER TO VOTERS.
Final Appeal of the County Road Con,
vention.
The Letter That Has Gone Out With
the Pet1tions-An Appeal to the Peo-
pie and a Financial Exhibit.

The Executive Committee Of the Good
Roads County Convention, in behalf OF
that body, has had prepared and sent out
petitions TO be signed by electors, and
5000 copies of the following letter to the
people. 1t concerns so vitality local pub
lie matter and county finances that we
give the document in full:
TO the People of Sacramento County:
The Executive Committee Of the
County Road Convention, solcltS the
electors of the county to sign petitions to
the Supervisors, to submit 10 the people
the question whether they favor bond
issue for forty years OF call bonds for
$500, coo at not over five per cent, for the
construction this year Of certain trunk
lines of permanents highways in mac
adam.
The estimated aggregate length Of the
roads is about 156 miles, to be IN tracks OF
sixteen feet, and built under supervision
of competent road engineers and by con-
tract.
1t is local option in perfection: it is
bringing government near to the people;
1t is the right way to determine such
questions before beginning active work.
All the assessable property In the
county is liable under such scheme.
Sacramento electors within town and city
den, thus enabling the whole people TO
join in the work, since all the people Will
reap the benefits.
WHAT ARE MACADAM ROADS?
BODYBUILDING is of two kinds-tem-
pOrary and permanent. The earth and
the gravel roads are of the first, macadam
OF the second class.
a macadam road is made by first pre-
pairing the earth with but slight crown,
i.
the soil as may be. Then it is rolled by
improved machinery thoroughly. Next
is laid on about seven inches of coarse
broken trap-rock, of which broken cob
BILE is high order and is plentiful. The
interstices are then filled with smaller
broken road metal, and the whole again
rolled hard and smooth. Then is put on
Blk inches, more or less, of fine broken
stone, and that is dressed with stone dust
or pulverIzed rock, and the whole rolled
hard and smooth, creating watershed
ding roof commonly called a surface"
In brief terms that is a good macadam
road, and with little care will not alone
last hundreds of years, always smooth,
clean and Offering least resistance to
wheel or hoof but it increases speed of
movement, lessons wear and tear and
adds threetold to all hauling capacity.
ARE THEY THE CHEAPEST?
roads are the cheapest. In the interest of
economy they ought to be built on a syS-
tematic and comprehensive plan, and not
by hand to mouth and long delayed do
ing by piece meal; for the latter process
destroys system, postpones benefits
many years, and gives no assurance of
continuance of the work from one ad-
ministration to another.
ABOUT BRANCH ROADS.
cannot reach to every mans door, they
will make the main lines, around which
branch system will grow up. To every
man they will offer just so much mileage
of good road as he now has to cover on
bad road on reaching main lines and go
ing thence TO the common center-the
county seat.
THE GREAT TAX THAT MUST BE NOW
RAISED FOR PATCHWORK.
The cost of systematic construction is
most just when distributed over long
period and put in part upon those to come
after US. who are to be the greatest ben
eficiaries.
The interest paid comes back many
fold in the benefits gained. Raising
some $4,000 year for road purposes
Sacramento County in forty years, if she
goes on under the present system, will
raise by direct tax the enormous sum OF
Nl,OONgOOO anu Will ave W SHON 1CI LDlS
great outlay Of money only such roads as
she now has.
THE PROPOSED PLAN IN THE END
lessons TAXES.
Under the bonding plan, which is not
new, but has been proved by trial else
where, the entire cost distributed over
the same period will be 81, ,062, 800 princi-
pal and interest, and meanwhile we will
have all,the uses and benefits of the mac
adam system.
We append a table showing, thit in de-
TALL but take note, that therein no ac-
count is made of the certain increase of
values by reason of the work proposed.
Also, the calculation is made on the basis
of So, ,000, 900 of assessment roll, city and
county, whereas we venture the state
ment that within five years the assess
ment roll will increase to $40, ,000, 600, and
within ten years to S50,000,000, by reason
of this needed improvement; hence the
tax will go down.
The present road tax is 25 cents on
county property only, and all agree will
never be less under the old system, that
which we have pursued for the past forty
years.
But under the new it will not, after the
completion of the new trunk lines, be so
great, because the enormous cost OF main
tenance of present roads will be reduced
Ito the extent OF l5o miles, or so much as
we can build with the fund.- to less than
one-third the present cost of maintenance
This is seen when we tell you that there
are 400 miles of roads in the county: the
new macadam will absorb within forty
four miles of half of all these roads. So
we estimate that the present road tax will
not be increased. certainly not after the
roads are completed, and that presently
it will pay the interest, the principal and
the cost of keeping all the other roads as
now cared for. Probably it will decline
very early, since the assessable values
must increase under the new system
alone and the cost of maintenance decline
accordingly. If the new system is
adopted, no more tax money will go into
the trunk lines under the old system, and
these lines now absorb seven-tenths of all
the money spent on roads.
COST OF SPECIAL ELECTION TO BE SMALL.
We therefore ask you to sign the peti-
ton that the whole question may be sub
mitted TO vote OF the people.
We are pledged to furnish the county
suitable election officers free and polling
places in so far as possible free, that the
cost OF the election may be small, but
whatever it is, we hold that the subject is