The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-04-18
CLARK EXPLAINS
HIS ROAD Law
Interior Counties All Take
a Different View of
Its Workings.
The Author Makes Public HIS
IDEAS and Says It Is Clear
as Day.
It Will Force Every Citiz to Take
Personal Interest in the Condi.
tion of the Roads.
OAKLAND OFFICE SAN Francisco CALL,

OAKLAND OFFICE SAN FRANCISCO CALI
903 Broadway, April II. 4
Since the passage of the Clark road law
by the Legislature all kinds of criticisms
have been made and complications an
ticipated by Supervisors in nearly every
county OF the State. The interior press
has published hundreds of columns upon
the new law and in no case have the
opinions OF two editors been the same.
In Alameda County the matter has been
very generally discussed-in many IN
stances condemned, in few DOM mended
but by most people interested in it it has
been regarded as imperative.
Assem- bIyman Clark OF Niles has
watched the progress OF public opinion re-
garding his bill and to-day he made a
statement in which he tries to make plain
great deal that is at present am biguous.
There may be some crudities in the
act." he said, (which we will discover
when it is in operation. Its provisions
on the whole are very simple. On the
last Saturday in May three Trustees are
elected to hold office for one, two and
three years respectively. Thereafter one
Trustee will be elected each year to holI
office for three years, as !our present
School Trustees are elected.
There will be no expense attend
ing the election. which will be as
simple as the present School Trustee
election. The Trustees shall have charge
of all road work, construction. sprin king,
etc. AS nearly as possible all work will
be done by contract, by open bids to the
lowest bidder. This will insure better and
cheaper roads for the money, as it is j
well-known fact that Town Trustees who
contract for their street work can do the
Of IL f<- t,.,l
third OF the price We pay for our road
work. The taxpayers demand that sip
shod methods should give place to bust
ness methods II roadwerk. The compen-
sation for the Il u,tees is $25 per year for
each Trustee; one of the three acts as
clerk, and for his services he receives $25
additional per annum. The compensation
is Intentionally small. We wish to take
the roads out of politics. There are in
every community men of standing and OF
worth who take enough interest in the
community and its roads TO serve on these
boards without wishing to become rich.
THE Trustees are responsible for all ex-
peEditures on the road and must report
annually 10 the Supervisors their receipts
and expenditures. The Trustees provide
for the collection OF road poll taxes which
hereafter shall be Used for the benefit OF
the roads. THIS tax may be worked out
on the work or paid. The people may on
election raise or lower their road tax, thus
allowing each district to decide whe her it
shall have an expensive or economl cal ad-
m inistration. have heard it said shat
district would be taxed Tor the entire cost
of any county bridge erected within its
limits. This is absurd, as the bridges are
county property. built from county funds
by the Board OF Supervisors, and will not
in the least affect this new law.
There can be no election held until
May. 1898, as the Governor neglected to
sign the bill until it was too late for an
election TO be held in May of this year.
The fundamental idea OF the entire law is
to bring the control OF the roads back to
the people. believe the law will recon-
mend itself 10 all our citizens and tax
PAYERS who will give the law a lair TRIAL
/ will add IN conclusion that the Com.
mirtee on Roads and Highways of the
last Assembly also succeeded IN having
passed a wide-tire Wagon bill, which does
no, 60 into effect till 1899"