The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1910-03-24
State Grange and Good Roads
By c. B. Kegley Master Washington State Grange.


showing the state roads located and
proposed, you will see that from road
Z to the proposed road south, there
is a territory 60 by $50 miles with
out even a proposed road. which can
rot be touched for at least 25 years.
This road plan has been very nicely
worked out, so that by following the
lines sought it touched every county.
1t seems clear why this was done.
In fact the only reason that could
have prompted such location was to
quiet those who might protest. But
even if we leave out of consideration
those great sections of the state that
are not considered in this belt line
plan, rs years is the least possible
time in which these proposed and al
ready located roads can be built, and
at a cost under present road construc-
ton of thirty million dollars. Do
you call this practical plan over
which farmers should enthuse, or
that you can expect them to support?
1t is not necessary for me to single
out any special section or piece of
located or proposed road. My pur-
pose is simply to call the attention
of those who are familiar with the
topography of our country, to the
enormous waste of state funds this
belt line plan would involve. To
those who are as familiar with the
state as I am, it would not be diff
cult to pick out stretches of road
that would cost no less than $4,000
per mile-not for one mile alone,
but for stretches of 20 or 80 miles.
l am confident that you will never
get the farmers to indorse such a
proposition. For the past eight years
the taxpayers of Washington and the
Grange has always protested against
such outrageous waste of our money.
We want good roads but we want
them to be of unquestiOned benefit
to the farmers and the industrial in
terests of the state, and we want
plan that automatically serves all
parts of the state in fair and just
proportion as each section is settled
and developed, and requires better
and better roads. Our Grange local
option plan meets these requirements.
For an example of the advantage
of local option by counties, let us
take the single county of Whitman,
for in this county I am most fully
acquainted with conditions. With
the one mill state aid tax, ana the
one and one-half county and bridge
tax, we will raise approximately
100000 annually. In our county
we can build roads at a cost of about
$500 to $4,000 per mile-that is,
where we eliminate graft. This
would give US 90 to 80 miles of good
roads annually, while the proposed
plan could not give us over so to 80
miles Of state built roads in 80 years.
The Grange desires the repeal of
the present state road laws. 1t is OPP
posed to the belt line system of high
ways, or any system of trunk lines
which are not developed by consider
ing each county as unit. 1t stands
firmly for a state road system based
on the fundamental principle of To-
cal option by counties and the control
and supervision of roads vested in the
local government boards in about the
same way that tho control of the
streets in municipalities is vested in
the city government This is, as |
understand it, the attitude of the
State Grange to the good roads move
ment.
If this position is wrong, then the
arguments must be presented and eff
forts made to secure a change of the
State Grange attitude at the State
Grange annual session which will
convene in June. | feel confident,
however, that the present position of
the Grange in this matter will be
strongly reaffirmed, and if the CO.
operation of the Grange, and of the
farmers of the state generally is de-
sired, to secure union of all inter-
ests to secure the adoption of broad,
far-reaching plan of road improve
ment, which will really benefit the
people of the whole state, and place
Washington in the lead of all states
in this important matters, l urge that
committee be appointed by this
convention to draft a plan and bills
for legislative enactment in harmony
with the Grange plan, to the end
that those measures may be submit
ted to all associations throughout
the state for approval. With the
understanding that when general
plan has been approved that all are
to work together to make it a success.
If in developing such plan it can
be shown that trunk line roads can
be built connecting the principal
cities of the state by the aid of spe-
cial contributions from the cities and
the Automobiles especially interest