Los Angeles herald., 1908-07-20
SUMMED UP CASE
FOR GOOD ROADS
BURNETT OF RED0ND0 PUTS
ARGUMENTS IN NUTSHELL
FARMERS INTERESTED ABOVE
ALL OTHER CLASSES
TWO Mass Meetings Addressed, at
Which Resolutions Are Passed
lndorslng Campaign for linz
proved Highways
Special to The Herald.

Special to The Herald
WHITTIER, July ia. Wardman
president of the Whittier board OF
trade, took the chair at a mass meet
ing held here Saturday evening on be-
| half of the good roads movement.
Great enthusiasm was shown and the
! campaign was Endorsed by the 'unan-
imous vote of all present numbering
about 200.
G. H. Burnett, president of the Re-
dondo chamber of commerce, N. w.
Thompson of Alhambra and A. E.
Loder, chief engineer Of the Los An
geles highway commission, were the
speakers of the evening, the first
named making a powerful plea for
public support of the movement.
Mr.. Burnett emphasized the fact that
all would benefit by the projected sys-
tenn of improved roads and the country
rancher most of all The uses to which
the automobile owner would put the
new roads are small as compared with
that which will be made of them for
business purposes by the farmer. At
ter dwelling on the solid and perma-
nent character that the new highways
will have. Mr.. Burnett spoke of the
part good roads played in the civiliZa-
ton of country, and drew COMPARE
sons between those in use in the east
and those in the west, comparisons
greatly to the disadvantage of the
latter.
He also particularly insisted on the
small burden per capita that would be
laid on the shoulders of the taxpayers,
his speech in this respect following the
lines of the exhaustive address that he
had delivered the evening before at
Redondo. There he summed up the
arguments in favor of the movement
in the following comprehensive style
"First-The proposed system is COM
prehensive, embracing all parts of the
county and connecting every city and
town with every other city and town
by one or more routes.
"Second-The improvement Of these
main routes under the bond issue will
leave more money to be spent on the
lateral and subordinate roads out of
the regular road fund, SO that the re-
suit will be an improved condition of
all highways in the county, as well as
those which are covered by the report
of the highway commission.
"Third-There is no more favorable
time than the present for the hiring of
labor and the purchase of material at
economical rates, and there Is no time
when the expenditure of large sum
of money in public work will be more
welcome or will do more good to the
inhabitants of this county.
Ready Market for Bonds
''Fourth-The credit of Los Angeles
county is such that the bonds will find
a ready market, probably on per
cent basis, and will doubtless be placed
in the east, resulting in outside money
to the extent of $3,500000 coming into
the county to be spent here. Eighty
per cent of this money will be spent
for labor and will find its way through
the hands of the laborers into general
circulation, thereby reaching the gro
Ger, the tailor, the landlord and all
classes Of people.
"Fifth-The annual interest charge
on these bonds is SO small in proper
ton to the assessed value of property
in Los Angeles county that 1t is posi-
lively insignificant. On the basis OF
last years assessment the bond interest
will amount to only 40 cents per $1,000
of valuation, and las the assessments
are on basis of about 80 per cent OF
the market value, you will readily see
that the good roads tax will amount to
only 20 cents per $1,000 of property
owned. In other words, If you own
house and lot that is worth $4,000 your
good roads tax will be 60 cents per
year, or at the rate of cents per
month. On the other hand, If, like
myself, you live in a modest cottage
that is worth about $500, it will make
your good roads tax look like thirty
cents.
"sixth-Redondo Beach is particu-
larly fortunate in having had two
roads recommended for Improvement
under the bond act; one being the main
route between Los Angeles and Re-
dondo Beach, by way of Inglewood,
and the other being new road (or
rather a new location of the present
road) between Redondo Beach and Will
mington, so as to eliminate the pro-
hibitive grade in the present road at
the southeastern corner of the city.
Both of these roads will be of inesti-
mable value to Redondo Beach, bind
ing 1t more closely to the metropolis
and to our neighbors on the south, and
making 1t easy for all classes of peo-
ple-the farmer as well as the auto
mobile owner-to visit Redondo Beach
both for business and pleasure"