The Colfax gazette. [volume] (Colfax, Wash.) 1893-1932, 1904-12-09
pAVORS AMENDMENT
GOOD Roads Convention Held
in Walla Walla.
Resolutions Passed do Not Favor
Repeal OF the Present Road
Law OF the State.

County Commissioner B. F. Sberfev
was in attendance at the good roads
convention held at Walla Walla Last
week. He went both as delegate and as
| an interested student of the problem Of
making good roads. The delegates
we're given an opportunity tC examine
the piece of road that is being constrnc-
ted by the government under the direc.
tion OF Special Agent J. W. Abbott and
Expert J. II. Hodge.
The road in question has been built
Tor about half a mile. The process EN-.
ployed does not differ materially from
that in vogue in this county. The road
now being macadamized is Is feet wide
The process, briefly described, il as fol
lows: The road is first plowed to a
depth OF about six inches. Then a iayer
OF loose rock is placed. Upon top of
that they put coat of crushed rock.
This latter is wet down and rolled. A
coat OF screenings is then put on and
you have a good road.
The convention was addressed by
several eminent people from the west
VINO nave made study of the sulect.
The following resolutions we're adopted:
The Resolutions.
heSoiNeuJ IndC Cne Eastern wash
lngton Good Roads convention, Assem-.
bled at WalIa Walla this Both day of
November, 1904, favors the amendment
rather than the repeal of the present
road law, as demanded by the platforms
OF both political parties, and that the
secretary OF this meeting be and is here
by instructed to transmit a copy of this
resolution to the proper committee of
the legislature to convene in Olympia,
January, 1905.
Resolved, That the great need of the
state OF Washington is better wagon
roads. and that it is the sense of this
convention that state highway COM
mission should be created by statute,
with a highway commissioner whose
duties and authority should be analo-
gous to those exercised by a similar Of
fetal in California, and in nearly every
eastern state, and we earnestly request
the members elect Of the state legisla-
ture to enact such a law.
Resolved, That this convention IA
vors a system OF state, county and in
divlduai cooperation, whereby the state
shall pay one-third, the county one
third, and the property owners bene-
fitted by the construction of the road
oho Cuiu, CudI Cue equity pay UrSC CObC
and that the state reimburse the county,
and that the county collect from the in-
diyiduats as their installments fall due,
on plan similar to that OF New Jersey
and other eastern states.
Resolved, That this convention ex-
press in the most forcible manner its
appreciation of the wisdom and broad
minded policy of the county commiss-
toner's OF WalIa Walla county in secur-
ing the cooperation of the office OF pub
lie road inquiries of the United States
department of agriculture, and in furn-
fishing to it the necessary facilities for
the construction Of macadam road
built on modern methods, which shall
serve as a permanent object lesson for
Walla Walla and adjoining counties;
and further.
Resolved, That the cordial thanks OF
thus convention be extended to James
W. Abbott, special agent, and Mr.. j. FL.
Dodge, government expert, for their
earnest efforts to meet the wishes OF said
commissioners, and to construct first
class highway; and further be it
Resolved, That we urge our senator's
and representatives in congress to use
their most persistent efforts to secure an
appropriation for the Office of public
roads inquiries, which shall enable it to
meet properly the demand for more in
struction in road building in all parts of
the United States.'