The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1904-09-15

WAYS up to the highest degree of eff
cheney, and how we'll the work is being
done can best be seen by looking over
the country and taking a drive over
roads that five years ago were Vorita'
bile uuagmires In the western part
of the state, where the rains are so
heavy from October to April, the need
of good roads was imperative. How
to build highways that would not soon
fall to pieces under the heavy travel
to which they were subjected has been
a problem with the authorities, par
ticularly so where the money at their
disposal has been none too large In
amount. The matter is being gradu-
ally solved. The country Is DelnS
more thickly settled, more land Is be-
ing put under cultivation, the people
make more money and are glad to pay
more taxes in order to enhance the
value of their land. Good roads are
a potent factor in the development OF
the country. Every property owner
realizes this and is anxious to see the
community have the most substantial
highways, notwithstanding their extra
cost. He knows that they will soon
return a hundredfold in the enhanced
value of the land and a largely in
creased intercourse of business Bet
ter and quicker communication be-
tween the city and the rural districts
is also possible, which is no small
item in this day of hurrying every
where.
The state has a branch of the Ma
tional Good Roads association and IL
is doing much good work in enlisting
aid and creating interest in the work
oc h,,iI
quarters of the association are in Seat
tie and the president is Samuel Hill,
we'll known throughout the northwest
for his connection with the Great
Northern railway and for being ident1-
fed with a number of movements for
the betterment of the northwest gen.
orally. At the present time the state
good roads association is taking
deep interest in the experiments about
to be conducted in Walla Walla cOun-
ty. on the east, and in WhatcOm coun-
ty, on the west, by the federal govern
ment in road building. A few miles OF
good road are to be built in each
county, to determine the efficiency OF
certain methods of constructing roads,
taking into consideration the great
difference in thickly wooded and an
open section of country. In the west
ern part of the state Whatcom county
is credited with having the best roads
of any county. The remarkable de-
velopment that has been made there
in, in an agricultural way, in the last
five years is largely due to its good
roads, three of which fork out from
Bellingham, northwest, north and
northeast, to the Canadian boundary.
How they have been secured is best
explained by R. l.. Kline, one OF the
commissioners of the county. In
communication to one of the local pa
pers he said in part: eve should
recognize the fact that all roads can
not be built in year in country like
ours. Time is required to build good
roads, but they are coming, and COM
ing fast. l predict that in a very few
years bad roads will be thing OF the
past in Whatcom county. The present
board of commissioners have spent a
large amount of money in road I'M
provements. All other expenses have
been shaved down at every point in
order that larger levy could be made
for road purposes, and the fact is that
we have exceeded our road levy for a
number of years past in making the
required road improvements, because