Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1908-10-20
HIGHWAY IMPROVEMENT.
A Subject That Is Demanding Much
Attention In New York.


In determining upon our highway
Improvement policy we must consider
the purpose that the roads are to serve
The most important use-is to enable
the farmer to market his produces and
procure supplies at the least annoy
ance and expense for transportation.
Being the foundation industry, we may
justly claim that the first object should
be to provide enhanced facilities for
travel and traffic between the farms
and the business centers or shipping
points. The welfare of the state de-
pends upon prosperous and remuner-
ative agriculture. and plans should be
made to conserve the interests related
thereto rather than to build long lines
of connecting highways that are not of
material use to the farmer or any 9TH
er business OF industry. The establish.
ment of through roads should be made
secondary to an improvement of the
radiating highways that are used to
reach every point from which produce
is shipped or that is in itself d center
for the disposal of produce or the pur-
chase of supplies. ...
The proposal to set aside something
over 5000 miles in the state, to be Inn
proved at state expense. to constitute
SO called trunk system, while plausi-s
bly, presented, does not carry .weighty
argument and should not prevail over
the needs and demands of the farming
districts that would not be reached by
the state system. Some localities
o1x 10
of roads thus built, obtain relief from
taxation because of their building and
profit by the enhancement of property
values that inevitably follows highway
improvement, while in comparison 9TH
er localities that the state is under
quite as much obligation to aid will be
left to struggle as best they may un-
der adverse conditions.
If there was an unlimited fund at
the command of the state, each locali-
ty might in time be reached by share
Of the benefits. But the bonded debt
cannot exceed $50000,000. and it will
require practically all that remains Of
that sum to complete the state roads
as projected by the legislative commit
tee. While provision is made in the
bills introduced by the joint committee
for both state and county roads, yet it
may be easily foreseen that the state
roads are to have first attention, and
when that is accomplished the fund
will be absorbed, and the state cannot
therefore assist in the improvement Of
the county roads.
The question Of through roads as
against the radiating business roads is
Of far more Importance than many ap- i
preciate. Every town hamlet or ship |
ping station is entitled to consideration
in the distribution of favors that the
state has to grant, and there should be
no privileged localities. The state
should not build highways for one !
town or district and withhold the same |
from another. The roads |
that are Of sufficient importance to JUS |
tify expensive construction and main |
tenance should be joint charge upon !
the state, county and town and be so /
that they will provide an |
equitable division of benefits as be- |
tween localities. With such a policy |
the fund Of the state can be made to
cover much greater mileage, and
there will be no discrimination.
E. ]. YOUNG.