Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1905-03-24

direct tax, mud tax as, he also called
it, the more bardensome was that il
gave back not one penny's worth Of
benefit to the struggling farmer As
instances of the burden of this indi-
rect, or bad roads tax on the orchard
lists of Josephine county, he mention
cd the experience of Eastman Bros.
These orchardists marketed 1000
boxes of fruit last year. Their or
chard was six miles from Grnats Pass
and ON the present roads by putting
in long days, their teams were able
to make two trips a day and to haul
so boxes at load. On a macadamiz-
ed road the same team would have
more easily hauled 100 boxes at
load. The indirect bad roads tax
woull thereby be as follows: 1000
boxes at 90 boxes per load, would
make 140 loads, which at So 90 per
load would make the cost of market
ing $3.50 AT 100 boxes per load,
there would be but 10 loads and at
80. 90 per load the team expense would
be $40. Thus macadamized road
from the Eastman Bros farm to Grants
Pass. would give them an added profit
of $40 on each fruit crop, a sum that
would be considered by the average
tax payer enormous and ruinous II
levied each year as a good roads tax,
but as a road tax it is borne as one
of the burdens oo-incident to farming.
Mr.. Carson gave other examples
equally as convincing. or the wear
and tear on vehicles the bad road
tax amounted to 10 per cent while on
macadamized road the wear aud
tear was but 21e per cent Mr.. Car
son stated that Josephine county had
no season of good roads for the dust
and dried.up onuck holes of tue sum
mer made hauling all but as expensive
and as hard on man, horse and
vehicle as was the mud of winter.
lnt duuiNbh was mOcb NbhN
presentation of the burden that bad
roads places upon the farmers aud
orchardist of Josephine county and
If all farmers realized this unneoes-
sary burden as does Mr.. Carson, this
indirect tax would soon be changed to
good roads tax and the money there
by put to use that would yield
profitable returns instead of being as
completely lost as though thrown into
the mudholes that are the cause of
this, the greatest handicap to the far
mer's prosperity.
The next speaker VISA Judge j. O..
Tronchard, of Astoria. and his topic
was District Road Tax " Judge
Trenchard said the policy of ClatsoI
county, of which he is county judge,
was to encourage the districts to levy
their own road tax and the towns tC
do likewise. The good feature of thii
was that it enabled progressive com
munitiies to have good roads and moi
! be held back by the selfishness o.
the towns, or the towns inability b,
reason Of other expenses to pay BIZ
road tax. In districts. where a schoo
house was being built or other larg'
expense incurred the tax payers coult
reduce their road tax for the year
Clatsop county being very heavil.
timbered and the climate very wet
5 plank roads were being extensiyel.
$ built, thought where the travel wa
extra heavy crushed rock wa
used. Judge Trenobard advocate,
using as little money as possible OF
outlaying roads, but to conflne tn
bulk of the road work to the mai
highways leading to the marketin
points. He would have no work don,
except under the supervision of CON
petent roadmaster He was decided
= in favor of having road crews made u
Of men hired by the month aud wit
) tents to give tire men and teams qual
ters wherever their work may TAX
n them. In previous years his count
had bought shovels, mattooks, etc
to be lost as regularly each year an
new ones again purchased. Und'
the new system and a road master
. the latter is charged up and held II
sposible for all tools belonging to th
=, county.
"a Hon. W. X. Newell, of Dilley. men
% Der of the State Board Of Horticultul
n. and a representative from WashingtC
, county in the last Legislature, WI
~ the next speaker. In his openir
m remarks Mr. Newell gave sketC
10 Of the progress OF the good roa,
a movement in Washington county al
"A the application fits Josephine coun
N so we'll that the Courier gives Il
Ia paragraphs which are AZ follows:
III "For a numbr Of years past we res
"A dents Of Washington county ha
i, regularly each winter been seiz
30 with burning desire to build go
III roads. The fever usually strikes
m about January /, at time VIII
,d tho roads are beginning TO get IL
M passsble, and the weather il so b
an that it IL impractioAble to do al
no thing much to better them. Y
NO gather about the stove in the villa
:, store aud denounoe the county cor
No and the road supervisors in unmeasr
no ed terms. aud air our superl
-, knowledge as TO how the thing oug
ho 10 be doue; we write long letters
nd the local papers telling how thir
m. could all be fixed up in splendid sha
'cL If other people would only do th
Iad duty, and 30 on. But some "
70 about March I, the fever seems
ma have run its course, and when
suuafvfgor comas arouud and asks