Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1902-11-27
WANTED-BETTER ROAD

more attention than our public
roads, and none that receives so
little. 1t is sound principle of
political economy that any improve
ment which facilitates the move
ment of crops to market must in
crease the value of land and aug
ment the public wealth. In older
states this principle has been rec
ognized, as correct road making
has kept pace with the demand for
better transportation facilities for
moving produce, and road making
has developed into science equally
important as the science of railroad
building. In Idaho there has been
no advancement. The same useless
filling up of ruts with dry dirt, the
same waste of labor in tinkering
the roads practiced 30 years ago
is continued today, and consequent
ly our highways show no improve
ment. The object to be attained
in the repair Of roads should be the
greatest degree of improvementwith
the least expenditure and labor.
Under the ill-regulated system pre-
vailing in this state either improve
ment or judicious expenditure of
road labor is imp ossible. The per-
sonal road tax system is unsound
in principle, unjust in operetion,
wasteful in its practice, and unsat-
isfactory in it's results. The entire
system from beginning to end is a
false one. A county is divided into
a number of small districts, super
visor is appointed for each, not with
q regard to his knowledge Of road
building, but because of his willing
ness to. accept. Thus an important
element in the wealth and comfort
Of a community may be at the mercy
of the ignorance or Incidence of any
one Of the districts through which
q public road runs. One supervisor,
through pride OF public spirit, may
put the roads in his district in good
condition; another from solvenly
work or neglect may leave his in
such a condition that a load haule d
easily over the first could never be
dragged over the second. The actual
loss entailed by bad roads ought to
bo understood by any sensible man,
but many are too INDECENT to even
think Of it. If a farmer hauls a
ton over road the cost OF hauling
must be deducted from the price of
his load. If, by reason of better
road, he can haul ton and half,
then the extra half ton has been
taken to market for nothing, and
the sum that it would have cost is
to be added to the price OF the whole
load. The advantage of a good road
over a bad one is sef-evident and
needs no argument.
We admit that it is easier to find
fault with bad system than to sug-
gest better one, but we will point
to one serious defect that can and
should be remedied-the collection
of road tax in labor; remnant of
feudal times that ought to be
abolished. Every one knows that
it means the least work for the SUI
pervisors' receipt; that it results in
short hours, long stories and i'm
passable roads. Every one also
knows that dollar in money will
go as far as two in labor. The tax
should be collected and expended
in cash. Another defect is the great
number of supervisors. The roads
of whole county should be under
the supervision of one experienced
man who should be paid for his
labor and held accountable for his
conduct. We do not pretend to
say how to accomplish this, but we
do say that reform in road matters
is necessary and feasible, and the
legislator who will accomplish it
will deserve the name of a states
man. To a practical mind there
seems to be sure and certain rem
edy. Let the road taxes be paid |
in coin. Let the repair and MAIN
tenance OF roads to the lowest and |
best bidder, to be paid for in coin,
conditioned upon the proper per-
Torrance of the work. There
is no particular reason why the
roads on this prairie should not be
made passable at all seasons of the
year. If the worst places were
improved year by year