The record-union., 1896-09-06
ALL ARE FOR GOOD ROADS.
The Southern Counties Alive on the
Subject.
Citizens Pledge the Candidates for
Legislature and Supervisors in
Favor of Them.


Favor of Them.
State Commissioner of Highways j..
L. Maude arrived in the city yesterday
from an extended trip throughout the
southern part of the State, where he
had been gathering statistics for the re-
port to be made by the board for pres
entation to the Legislature next winter.
Speaking of his favorite topic, Mr..
Maude said:
Il find the good roads sentiment in
Southern California to be extraordi-
narily strong. When 1 reached Los
Angeles it seemed to be as much topic
of conversation as either Bryan or Nc
Kinley. They are forming various good
road organizations in the county, which
are pledged to support for members of
the Legislature and Boards of Super
visors only such candidates as will ad-
vocate good road legislation and the
construction of we'll built highways
These organizations are generally
non-partisan in character. One of the
strong ones is known as the 'Non-Par-
tisan Bicycle League, and already has
OF course to good road enthusiast this
is a very pleasing aspect OF affairs.
Il find in Riverside and Orange Coun-
ties much the same situations. In San
Diego County this same good road cru
sade is even more perfectly organized.
Through that section the good roads
men have adopted a campaign button.
with the motto Good Roads upon it.
They are more generally worn than
even the button of the political par
ties.
Even the horses seem to be taking
up the cry, and found duck aprons tied
below their collars on the majority of
them, the aprons bearing the words
I Want Good Roads!'
Some days since a meeting of the
San Diego Good Roads League was
held a league, by the way, represent
ing over thousand voters-and candi-
dates were notified that convention time
was drawing near and that nomin-
ations would be in order in few days.
The organization wished an expression
from them as to what their attitudes
toward progressive road legislation
would be. The various candidates We're
very emphatic in expressing their deep
interest in the matter and pledged
themselves to lend their hearty CO.
operation to any measures looking
toward highway Improvement and the
construction of good roads.
AT this same meeting the candidates
for Supervisors were informed that the
good road league thought some sprink-
ling wagons and road rollers were nee
ecessary in the county-things, by the
way, which up to date are unknown in
that county A prompt and hearty ac-
qufescence was at once given by the va
rious candidates.
I'm fact, the situation there seems to
be that this organization holds the bal
ance of power, politically. You speak
to member of it on the subject of COIN
age or tariff, and the reply is, We want
roads,
This is not a surprising fact" said
Mr.. Maude, as he referred to tabulated
statement which he had compiled from
the Auditors books Of the county in
question, when / state that the ex-
penditure for roads in the county dur
ing the past ten years has been S4OS,
2U9 IL, the maximum expenditure hav-
ing been reached in the boom year of
1888, when $135,776 0S was spent, and
yet to-day there is not a mile of gravel,
macadamiZed, sprinkled or otherwise
well-improved roads in the county.
am glad, however, to say that the pres
ent Board of Supervisors have reached
realization of the needs of the county,
and are taking the initial steps looking
toward systematic development of the
county road SYSTEM
sThe blank form previously alluded
to was prepared after considerable con-
sideration, and was intended to give the
most complete information as to ex-
penditures of money for highway pur-
poses, but we have been seriously hand
icapped in our efforts to arrive at a
knowledge of these facts on account of
the unsystematic manner in which the
books Of the majority of the County
Auditors are kept. The law creating
the Bureau of Highways provides that
the expenditures for ten years back be
ascertained; but on account Of tke fact
that nearly every official attempts to
introduce system different from that
of his predecessor the rcords are gen
orally in badly jumbled condition, and
In some cases it is utterly impossible to
obtain the information necessary.
zone notable exception I found in
Riverside County. Here, when the
county was created in 1893, the first AS
SCISSOR, Mr.. Morse, in conjunction with
the Auditor, inaugurated a systematic
system of bookkeeping, the result of
which was that a detailed account of
road expenditures could be readily as
certained. To instance this, our blank
form requests the number of persons in
the county subject to road poll tax, to-
gether with the amount of money col
lected, or the number of days work in
lieu thereof performed. / find in this
county that during the forty-sixth fiscal
year there were 2,054 people subject to
this tax, the rate of which was 50, with
an additional 81 for delinquencies. The
amount of money collected less the
commission for collection was S.
076 20.
1.-The names of the persons subject to
the tax are obtained by the Assessor at
the time of collection Of State, poll and
personal property tax. They are hand
ed in to the Auditor, who arranges
them alphabetically, and the road poll
tax is then collected from them.
Now go into other counties having
q r,oJ1Ch 1arpor nop,y1a zion thoy, that of