Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1907-03-25
CARNEGIE LIBRARY ROAD LEGISLATION
tenth LEGISLATURE FAVORED
BUILDING GOOD ROADS.
Brief Summary of the New Road
Laws. They Are Said to Excel
Those of ANY Other State in the
Interest of Good Roads. Senator
POiSOn'S Bill Helped.

Good roads legislation by the tenth
legislature is declared by those who
have followed the work of the law.
makers to have made the good roads
provisions of Washington second to noue
of any state in the Union.
The laws, in brief, which have been
added with the close of the session of
the Legislature at Olympia, comprehend
the following: One providing for con-
vict labor on state roads; one author.
izing county commissioners to buy and
operate quarries; one appropriating
1925 100 for the construction and repair
of thirteen state roads; one authorizing
county commissioners to expend part Of
the general road and bridge fund for the
| improvement or construction OF roads
| within the corporate limits OF cities and
towns; the state aid law, obligng the
state to pay one-half the cost OF perma.
nent road construction; one permitting
the levy of a one.haf mill tax for the
state highway fund; one providing for
the determination by the state highway
commissioner of the feasibility of con.
structing certain roads.
II. B. 469 was drafted after the New
York law. 1t is the big measure OF the
| three, and is considered by many the
most important of all. 1t provides that
the county may get back one-half the
funds it has paid into the state highway
fund, providing only that the nature Of
the improvement made with this money
must be permanent, either OF gravel,
macadam or telford.
Polson's S. B. "A fixes the tax levy for
the state highway fund at one.half mill.
The bill was originally introduced in the
house by Tibbetts. of King, raising the
levy from one.quarter to one.hali of one
mill. In the house it was amended on
motion of Thompson, of Spokane, to
read, mot to exceed one-haIf MILL" Al
ter stormy debate the amendment car.
ried. When the amended bill was trans
mitted to the senate it was summarily
killed, and Poison brought in his, to
effect the passage OF bill without the
amendment.
Speaking, summarizingIy, OF the good
roads legislation of the session, Repre-
sentative Ramsay said: "For three
weeks there was fear among the com.
mitteemen of each other. Many were
afraid of cut-throat methods. Distrust
prevailed; small counties and big ones
were on the point Of going into dead
lock, until all saw that nothing but com.
promise could effect a satisfactory result.
This was done. After that the seventeen
members of the house roads and bridges
committee acted in unison. No bill
which the good roads association had in.
dorsed was lost, in the final analysis"
Speaking of the proposed 1000 miles
OF highway to connect eastern and west
ern Washington, State Highway Com
missioner j. II. Snow said that the work
will cost more than $l,000,00O. "This
SYSTEM" he said, twill include many
parallel roads across the mountains.
Five years will probably be required to
complete the task, and it looks as though
it would require nearly that time to Sc
cure the money. l hope that the legisla-
ture will appropriate 100000 for each
two.year period"