The San Francisco call., 1898-01-18

materials at available localities, and also express the belief that careful examlna-
 uon will reveal many additional sources
 or equally good rock.
 Our thanks are due the members of the board or Supervisors for their courteous cooperation in the work of developing
 the wealth and resources of the county
 Dy the construction of good roads, anu we feel assured that .-.e citizens of the
 county are awake to the necessity of prompt action in placing your county Tn the front or this important step.
 In an interview with The Call cor respondent, Commissioner Price said regarding the proposed boulevard:
 The Department of Highways has given some attention to the condition of roads and the financial policy of the present road building system in San Mateo County. It finds that the Board of Supervisors is eXpending every year in the neighborhood of $60, 900 for road purposes. In the year 1896 there was expended $63,27S 95 for general road purposes. The assessed valuation of taxable property in the county for the same year was about S13, ,2S4, ,000, of which S11,643.170 was assessed for road purposes at the rate Of 4U cents on the S100 for the year 1896 and for 1897 49 cents on the $100. the board taking ad- vantage of the late law permitting an assessment of ? mills on the dollar for general road purposes.
 The Department of Highways has made careful estimate of the cost of building a model road upon good grades and alignments, and is informed that in no county in the State is there a greater demand for better roads than Tn San Mateo County. The topography of the county is such that a portion of the coast range mountains virtually separates the eastern from the western inhabitants. Along the shore of San he .l; ,c the county is located, one of the most prosperous and important sections of the State. Over the roads of this sec ton all travel from or to San Fran cisco, by land, must pass. There is no other outlet to the interior of the State by land. except this. It is a portion of the peninsula upon which stands the metropolis of the Pacific Coast. The present county road is graded and graveled or rocked to some extent, but With very inferior material, and upon very faulty grades.
 The electric car lines have taken possession of the present county road from the San Francisco County line to point near Baden, a distance of about six miles. The roadbed has been so thoroughly neglected and used by the car tracks that the Commissioners are inclined to resort to another route through this section of the county, as no good highway can be constructed on the present right of way with the car lines and other obstacles to contend against.
 "A road constructed along the coast on good grades will become the great artery of communication with the me tropolis. not only for the people living along and adjacent to the road. but to all travel from the coast counties south of San Mateo and San Francisco. will .oT,- some or the most inviting country on the Pacific Slope, and if properly con structed is destined to become one of the scenic resorts of our State.
 No county in the State possesses more favorable material for road pur- poses than does San Mateo. The length of road from the Santa Clara line to San Francisco and thence to the Santa Cruz line is about ninety-five miles and the Highway Commissioners have asked for S310,000 with which to con- struct the road. With this sum they propose to correct the grades of the present road, increase the width of macadam or rock roadway to eighteen feet or more and replace all bridges, culverts and drains with rock or con- crete and drains with terra cotta drain pipes laid in cement.
 'The conditions upon which this per mission shall be granted, if the people grant the same, is understood to be that the Board of Supervisors agree to reduce the road tax levy every year hereafter to the amount required to pay interest and principal upon the bonds as they may become due. Under these conditions and none other would the Department of Highways consent to undertake the task of convincing the people that it would be a business proposition. It will thus be seen that this scheme does not purpose the in crease of the taxes of the property owner except in incorporated towns. where no road tax is levied.
 The towns of San Mateo and Red wood can well afford to pay their DOT tion of the tax in return for the benefits derived from a good road system. It will increase trade, increase travel. build up the surrounding coun- try, populate the beautiful building places and gradually increase the value of assessable property in the county.
 No less than 800 bridges, culverts and drainways must be maintained on the road. Some of the bridges are ex- tremely expensive to maintain, many of them being over streams of 8 consid- erable watershed, entailing the con- struction of costly bridges. The lum- Der bills alone for the care of San Ma teo County bridges and culverts often reaches S10OO per year, without the con- struction of a single new bridge The average bills for lumber for the past four years has been S5000 for each year. It has cost the county of San Mateo .000 for lumber, labor on the bridges and drainways for the years 1895 and 1896, or $i0,000 per year. How much more has been expended in labor the records do not show
 The present structures, with one or two exceptions, are all composed of wood. which are fast decaying and will require rebuilding very soon. No less than 140 bridges of lengths varying from twenty to 200 feet, span the var fous drainways of the road above de- scribed. The life of bridge construct ed of wood may be put at five years. Therefore in the next five or ten years the county of San Mateo must renew all these structures either with wood