The San Francisco call., 1897-01-05
SANTA CLARA'S
! RAPID PROGRESS
Prosperous Condition of the
County Told in
Figures.
Retiring Chairman Greeninger
Of the Supervisors Submits
HIS Report.
Steady Advancement Made Along
Every Line Within the Past
Twelve Years.

SAN JOSE, CAL, Jan. AT the regu-
lar meeting of the Board OF Supervisors
this morning Paul ?. Austin and Fred Nj.
Stern, the newly elected mem bers, took
their seats. The reuring members were
]. S. Selbv and A. Greeninger. Elmer Rea
was elected chairman. The personnel of
the new board is as follows: Paul P. Aus
tin. s. F. Aver, Elmer Rea, Fred NJ. Stern
and John Roll. S. F. Aver succeeded him.
self from tn Fifth District. On his cleo
rion as chairman Mr.. Rea made a short
address and invited the new board and re-
firing members to dinner at the Lamolle
House.
Before retiring, Chairman Greeninger,
who mas been a member of the board for
twelve years, presented a report of the
progress Of the county during the time of
his service as Supervisor. 1t is as follows:
To the Honorable the Board of Supervisors of
Santa Clara COuBty: Bei@g about TO retire from
membership i'll tnls honorable board, after
service which has covered a period OF twelve
years, deem it proper, with your consent, TO
call attention to some of the more important
transactions that have occurred during that
time and to make brierreview OF the progress
of the county during those years. ~
ROADS AND HIGHWAYS.
Probably the most important department
within the jurisdiction of the board is that OF
public roads and highways. The condition OF
the public roads of a community is fair in
deX TO the progressive character OF the people,
as we'll as to the intelligence and energy of its
executive board For many years Santa Clara
County has been prominent for the efficiency
with which this deDar tment has been admin
Istered, ana to-day there is no county OF the
Pacific Coast that equal it in the number
and excellence OF its public highways. Dur
ing the past twelve years the county has
opened and improved 229 miles of the new
public roads. The extent to which the road
system has been perfected and improvements
accomplished during the last twelve years is
indicated by the following statement compiled
from the records OF the board:
In 1885, when had the honor of taking my
seat on this board, there were but two roads
In the county that were being Systematically
sprinkled-the Alameda and the Monterey road
the former between San Jose and Santa Clara.
distance OF little more than two miles, and
the latter between San Jose and the Oak Hill
Cemetery for like distance, the aggregate
amount OF sprinkled roads being about five
miles Investigation and experiments by the
board had convinced them that the mainte-
nance Of the pubic highways could best be
accomplished by liberal use OF water during
the summer season. 1t was also ascertained
that general system OF sprinkling would en-
tail large amount of money ct first cost; but
this would eventually be returned in a les
sened cost of maintenance. The question of
first cost caused the board to move cautiously
in the beginning, but its efforts in the initial
experiments were SO Su ucceSSful and It's Judg-
Inent fully confirmed that the taxpayers
were quick TO appreciate the results and eech
TEN came from the people oil all districts. How
much progress has been made in this direction
will be shown by the statement that, in the
place OF the five miles OF Spr1nkled road in
1855 with a sprinkling apparatus consisting
OF two carts, the county now regularly waters
about $50 miles OF county roads, has 50
watering-carts and more than 80 miles OF pipe
line VITA machinery and apparatus, constitut-
$4,000.
The board has full reason to be gratified at
the result of its labors i'll this department The
binding dust which, twelve years ago. charac-
terized the rural highways in the summer
time, that made travel a burden and demanded
OF the traveller thorough cleansing process at
the end OF even q brief journey, has disap-
pesred, and he can now drive for miles in any
direction with comfort and pleasure. The
chuck holes which lay concealed beneath
covering OF impalpable powder. and which
made the passage Of loaded teams almost in
tolerable, have also gone, and in their place is
hard and smooth ROAD bed, over which the
most fragile articles can be transported with
out danger or Inconvenience. This is q most
important consideration 10 the trultgroWer,
who IS rapidly monopolzing the territory out
side The limits OF cities and towns. Over our
roads as they are now maintained his pro-
duets can be carried TO their destination with
ont bruising and de iVered in cleanly condi-
lion.
I Will here, gentlemen, take the liberty to
suggest that however far the improvement OF
our pubic roads has been carried there is still
room for progress. The principal item of the
present expense Is the cost OF obtaining water.
hope 10 see the time in the near future when
this expense Will be reduced TO q nominal
= sum. Tuere are streams IN the hills that sur
round The valley which will furnish q supply
OF water amply sufficient for all road purposes.
This supply can be led to convenient points by
.gTavitation, and thus obviate the employment
OF costly machinery or apparatus and save the
large umS now actually expended in the pur-
chase of water. 1t seems 10 me 10 be the true
policy for the county to take immediate ste ps
toward acquiring such rights to the different
sources OF water supply as VIII enable it 10 en-
Joy the fulI advantages or those natural re-
sources. Each week tnat passes viii make
this more difficult The rapid settlement of
the territory through which these streams
flow complicates the difficulty by raising up
conflicting claims, SO that what might now be
accomplished without dispute may next wear
be obtained only through great trouble and
largely increased expense.
WORKING THE PRISONERS.
, One of the problems that have been subjects
of careful and continuous consideration by
the board is the question of providing en-
poyment for the prisoners confined in the
County Jail. Several experiments have been
made and none of them have proved entirely
satisfactory, the expense being found too
large to give satisfactory results. The Safe
keeping OF the prisoners rendered II necessary
. 10 employ and pay extra deputies, while the
cost OF transportation and the time required
TO move the prisoners from jail TO place of
labor and return entaiied much expense on
the county. But one OF the most important
objections TO any of the experiments thus far
. made Is, in my opinion the competition cre-
ated between tree and penal labor. The law
have all the money that the county expends
. for labor. The difficulty has been in finding
some employment that would not interfere
with this free labor and which would a the
ssme time bring in a prof sufficient to re-
imturse the county for the expense that must
necessarily be incurred in main tanning the
prisoners.
In common with the other members OF this
board / have given this question much serious
consideration, and have become thoroughly
convinced that all difficulties can be obyiated
by putting the prisoners at the WORK of pre-
pairing material for the public roads OF the
cnurtv and the streets of the city. There is
an abundance of rock OF q superior quality
within three miles of San Jose. 1t is mex
haustibie in quantity and can be transported
inexpeusiyely and conveniently to all points
where it may be needSd A small expenditure
oI money would furnish necessary buildings
for the use OF the prisoners and provide COM
pensation for super intendence and extra
guard. There are natural facilities for work
ing any number of prisoners, and the result
would be the preparation of an abundance of
the best of road material, which could be used
by the county or sold TO the incorporated cit
many instances be made TO take the place Of
gravel. The roads would be better for lis use
ana 1t would cost less money. The plan would
not IN tcrfere witt free labor, but, on the con-
lraTy, would add to the opportunities OF the
Tree laboTer 1t would be work which, II not
done IN this manner, would not be done al all,
ana, when the municipal authorities see an
abundance OF material so cheap and so well
adapted 10 the pdrpose. many streets ana
roads viii be improved which under other cir
cuinstances would not be done.
rms would make additional labor for the
laDoring man rather than deprive him OF that
which he already has. The fact that prison.