The record-union., 1898-02-15
COUNTIES ARE WAKING UP.
WANT GOOD ROADS LIKE THE
FOLSOM ROAD.
San Mateo County Considering the
Question of Issuing $31O,OUO
in Bonds.

The State Bureau of Highway Com
missioners have returned from San
Mateo County. where they have peeii
in consultation With the Board OF SUI
pervisors, by request of that BODY, with
a view TO improving the roads through
out the county.
Commissioner J. r. Price, in CONVEX
sation with a Record Union reporter
yesterday, said that the people OF the
county are alive to the propositions,
having been thoroughly walked up by
the example of the Folsom macadain
road and are bound to be in the SWIM.
The total tax roll of the county is Sl5,-
O00, 900 in round numbers. There are
two Incorporated towns, Redwood City
and San Mateo, that are exempt from
being taxed for roads, but the prop
erty in the remainder of the county IS
assessed at between 1,000,0O0 and
$4,000, 600 The country is at present
paying n road tax of 10 cents.
The Commissioners made a tour or
the county and an inspection of the
roads, in company with the Supervisors,
and as the result of their surveys and
Investigations told the Supervisors that
for 20 cents out of the - they could
build good roads by bonding the coun-
ty for $4,000.
The material is admirably distrib-
uted for the purpose of making roads.
there being large quantities of yellow
jasper, a flint-like rock in various por-
tions of the county near the roads,
while abundance of limestone can be OBJ
tanned from quarrieS which, when used
for a top layer, makes a road almost
like cement. The county, Mr.. Price
found by investigating the records, is
at present expending about $1,000 a
year for lumber and its transportation
to maintain the old wooden bridges.
aside from constructing any new ones.
In ten years this would amount to SiO,-
600 IN twenty years to $4,000. and in
thirty years to $4,000, and then there
would be nothing but perishable wooden
bridges There are in the county about
800 bridges, culverts and drainage
ways to be kept in repair, and they
could be built of concrete, steel and
rock at an estimated cost of SIT ,o3o.
There are no less than 200 bridges over
waterways that under the present sys-
tenn Of management it would cost $500
600 10 construct with wood. If built
of rock it would make them permanent
because they span small waterways
with long bridges of from 30 to 300
feet long, when a much shorter stone
bridge would be ample to carry the
water.
1t would cost at least 100000 in the
next twenty years to keep the present
bridges in repair under the present sys.
TEN and the grading would go on and
cost much more than under the con-
There decent road
running into the county from San
Francisco, there being only three roads
running out OF that city TO the county
line, che from Balboa. one from Po-
trero and the other from Inglesde. The
latter - course has a good road as
far rs the Park, but no farther, and
beyond that, as We'll as on the other
routes, the road is rough. If San
Mateo makes good roads as far as the
county line, San Francisco cannot, for
very shame, to say nothing of the adj
vantage to accrue to her. avoid making
good roads to meet them.
The Board of Supervisors have set
the 21st inst as the date on which to
issue call for an election to vote on
an issue of $4,000 of ~ per cent.
bonds to build the roads and after the
call is made a campaign of education
will be entered upon to show the people
the advantages to accrue. although
with the present feeling it hardly seems
necessary.
Amador County has also caught the
good roads fever and has asked the
Commissioners to come up and advise
as 10 The best methods of spending their
road money. so that, between the Fol-
som road and their other duties, they
are likely TO have a busy summer.