Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1906-01-19
COUNTY ROAD WORK TO
BE UNDER OLD SYSTEM
Gra nts Pass Not Helpins-Joseph
inc County VIII Build No
Macadamized Roads.

Crock county is the latest to join
the goo roads movement. The
county court of that county at their
recent session placed the road work of
the county under the manage of a
road master. He is to be paid 500 per
month during the months of April,
May, June, October and November.
For such work as he may have to
perform during the other months he
will be paid a per day. He will have
charge of road work and bridge con.
struotion and will employ a crew of
men to assist him.
jackson county, which adopted the
cash system and employed road mas.
ter last year, got such satisfactory
results that Jack True, the road mas.
ter was engaged again for this year.
The salary will be $1,000 for the year,
the same as it was for last year. The
county owns II Buffalo Pitts steam
roller, Beall q Co. rock crusher and
a complete road building plant. The
steam roller also does duty as tract
ion engine to haul the crusher when
moving and it does duty as station.
airy engine to operate the rock
crusher. A crew of men and teams
are employed by the month during
the road working season and they put
in 10 hours day. The crew has u
complete camp outfit and mess
wagon and cook and are at home
wherever theii work may be This
road crew is uLder the direct manage
ment of the road master and Road
Master True is the expert in operating
the roller grader and other machinery
and the men that do AS much work in
a day as does Mr.. True fully earn
their wages, for Mr.. True is not kid
glove foreman. Road Master Truo's
crew do all the principal road build
ms in the county. Most of the re-
pun anu AllN Nblh bh NbN oiAt lOhus 10
done by the nine supervisors yet re-
tanned by the county. Their work is
all done under the direction of the
county road master, the road tax in
jackson county was not increased for
this year and last year when the new
system was adopted the rate was
raised but little above that in effect
when all the road funds were expended
by road supervisors, for so much
more was accomplished for given
sum under the new system that more
road work has been done and there was
no need to materially raise the road
tax levy.
A strong effort was made by the
progressive element in Josephine
county to have the county bay a road
building plint aud emiloy crew of
men to operate it and to put all the
principal road work under the super.
vision of county road master, but
the county court at their recent sos.
sion decided to continue for this year
the old system. The road levy which
last year was three mills was made
only two mills this year, which will
raise about the same amount of money
by reason Of the increased valuation
made IN the tax roll of 1905. As
Grants Pass, with valuation of a..
26G, COO out Of IA total Of st. $50, 600 for
the entire county, pays no road tax by
reason Of clause in the charter
which releaes the city from paying
county road tax, Judge Booth aud
Com missioners Loyelaco and Logan
think that IL would not be just on the
farmer, country merchant and other
rural x payer TO make them carry
the entire burden of the expente that
would be necessary III taking up the
work Of macadamizing the road, 30
the county will merely condne It's at
tention to keeping the road in repair
and doing such permanent work m
th limited road fund, which will
amount to about $1,000. will permit
of.
While it is generally conceded that
the clause IL unconstitutional in the
Grants Pass charter that releases the
city from county road tax, yet the
county court did not feel disposed 10
20 to the expense Of testing the mat
ter in the courts An effort win be-
made TO induce the city to have it,
charter amended at the next session Of
the legislature and have that unfair
clause stricken out. Tue county court
and all progres i've citizens Of both
the county aud the city, feel that
Grants Pass is benefited quite ~
much AS the other sections Of Jose.
phine county by the bettermeut Of
the roads. It would be quite as legal
for Grants Pass, which pays large
city school tax, TO have the charter
further amended and evade the county
school tax, and even 20 further and