Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1902-04-11
A PRACTICAL SOLUTION.

A PRACTICAL SOLUTION.
Bond the County for $4,000 and get to
Work in Earnest ON Oar Roads.
There is no question which so
fully occupies the attention of
the people of this county at the
present time as that of county
roads. Even politics seem to
have lost their fascination, and
the voice of the road master
catches more ears than that Of
the aspiring candidate. That
our roads are not of the best is
an unfortunate condition; how
to improve them is lost in a
maze of theory.
Our road supervisors have
shown sscommendable interest in
offering plans and methods of
procedure, but there are good
and sufficient objections to every
thing suggested thus far. :
Agitation OF the matter ::of
bad roads is going to prove
hurtful to the community, unless
some adequate remedy can be
supplied. The GAZETTE has
been mindful of this fact, and
has been silent until it,could Of
fer what it believes toabe a tan
gib1e solution. Let us quit
harping about the ''tearful con-
dition of our roads, (which are
not so bad as strangers and dis
tant peoples have been led to be-
lieye-we all know they are bad
enough, and devote our atten-
tion to s'Good roads; how to get
them" L ~-,.r.-I..'
Here is an idea which deserves
development: There is in this
county, at rough estimate, not
to exceed 200 miles of much
travelled road. There is a gen
eral demand that it be put in
frst-class condition for travel.
The question is how best to do
this quickly and economically;
where to get the funds? Thanks
to the careful management sof the
present county court, Benton
county is practically out of debt.
The county can, therefore, sup.
ply all the cash necessary. An
experienced engineer said, yes
terday: "Under proper manage.
ment and the supervision ofa COM
petent engineer, the roads of the
county can be put in splendid
shape for an average cost of $3.50
per mile" The cost of i'm
proving 200 miles of road, then,
would be in the neighborhood of
$50, 900. Let the county issue
bonds for this amount, making
them payable in five or ten years,
or at the option of the court. By.
making them of small denomina-
tien, the greater portion of this
amount would be taken up by
our own people at an interest of
d per cent. BY the time these
bonds become due, we will have
good roads and those who are
getting the benefit of them will
pay the bill. Another item not
to be overlooked, is that every
acre of land bordering on these
roads will be enhanced in value
at from $2 to IS per acre, and
every product OF the farm will
yield a greater profit.
A few years ago the county
contracted an Indebtedness of
$50, 900 to bnild a court house.
All agree that this was a perfect
ly proper thing to do, but the
bonding of the county now for
$50, 900, or even $50, 900, for
improving Our roads would be
vastly more profitable and should
be more highly popular. A COM
petent engineer can be secured
for IS per day. He could di-
rect the work of improving the
roads. which can be let by CON-
tract to the lowest bidder, the
court reserving the right to with
bo1d ravment until the work is
satisfactory.
The present 2 per cent tax
would be sufficient to keep the
roads in repair, besides imprev-
ing by-roads. The policy COM
mon IN older countries, of having
rock and gravel piles at convent