The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1908-11-16
THE COUNTY ROAD GRAFT.

At the good roads hearing on last
Friday afternoon, it developed that
the county is hiring thirty-two road
supervisors, ono for each district, apd
paying each OF them two dollars and
fifty cents for every days work, and
they put in their bills for every work
ing day iii the year Mr.. Hewlett,
thinking that the per diem pay OF those
thirty-two road supervisors would not
amount to very much, was proceeding
on that assumption, but Mr.. Cosgrjff,
one of the county commissioners, dis
PEELED that illusion by saying, ''They
hand in their statements showing that
they have been busy every working
day in the year. and we have no way
of questioning them.' Apostle Smoot
cut in here, saying, 'I used to ques-
tiou everything that came to me for
payment Which can well be be-
lieved- He probably does it yet.
The details of this grating condi-
tion as to county road work was gone
into and it was developed that even
on rainy days bills are handed in for
running the sprinkling wagons.
Commissioner Cosgriff said that ac-
cordipg to an estimate of the county
surveyor. the county gets just thirty
seven and onebalf cents OF work for
every dollar that it puts into high
ways. And that another of the county
commissioners has estimated that the
county gets less than fly cents on
the dollar for all the money that it
puts into highways. Mr.. Cosgriff ex-
planned that the big trouble is Fsthe
county commissioners are not road
builders; they sit in their offices lii
the city and county building and allow
rcss OF which they know absolutely
nothing Mr.. D. r. Roberts said that
''money has been wasted for forty
years under the present system,' and
his opinion was that the State Engi-
neer should handle the work.
Governor Cutler volunteered remin
iscence OF thirty years ago when the
road question was strongly up in this
community, and he wondered at tho
vast sums that had been spent since
then, especially as automobile men
claimed that even on rainy days III
winter they were unable to drive out
in the country for as much Us Eve
miles without being practically drowned
IN the mud.'' The estimate made al
the meeting was that something like
Sl50,000 is practically thrown away
on the roads OF this county every year.
Mr.. Cosgriff s idea was to have one
man, competent TO do the work, take
charge of ii so the county commission
ers could have it entirely taken of their
minds
All of which is strongly confrma-
tory of The Tribune's position in the
past on this county road question,
where We have discussed these very
points that were raised at that meet
iuo. and have urged that the road
supervisors should not be allowed 10
squander the public money in the way
they have been doing. There is no
question in the world but that politi
cal graft accounts for most of this
useless expenditure, The county pays
a year for roads aud gets so
little for its expenditure that it may
be said to be practically nothing per
manent, The money expenditure on
roads should be put into scientific road
building, and the supervisors should be
allowed only (and this by permission
of the commissionrs) to make repairs
where they are urgently needed. and to
utilize the poll tax for that purpose,
not using any money at all in these
repairs. Clearly the taking OF the road
out of the hands of ihe
county commissioners is one of the
urgent needs OF the time