Arizona republican., 1910-07-14
NEW ROAD |S NEEDED Running East From Mill Ave.
 to Mesa Road A FEW HOLDING BACK And Delaying the Move, Though Most of the Prop erty Owners Are More Than Willing to Con tribute Their Share.
IA FEW HOLDING BACK

The need of a county road east from Mill avenue to connect with the Mesa road two miles distant has long been felt by south siders and on several different occasions agitation looking toward accomplishing that result has been started. All but one or two prop erty ov,lers through whose land the road will pass have signified their willingness to help the cause along but these one or two are holding the whole proposition back.
 Recently C. w. Alexander took the matter in hand and as a result of his observations he has directed the fol- lowing communication to The Repub- lican:
 Some time ago l took up the propo- sition of getting the parties through whose land d road would pass on the half section line east and west through section 22 and 23 interested enough in the road to donate the land pro- viding we could prevail on the county to grade and maintain county road. I find there are eighteen owners of this land and all are willing to donate their land for county road with three exceptions. These three are people who would be more benefited than any Of the rest of us and still they are hold
 ing out for about $500 per acre for the land which the road would use while all the rest are willing to donate theirs These people are laboring un- der the erroneous impression that it is wanted by street car company or gas company or that the town of Tem- pc is interested in the thoroughfare. Also they have been informed that considerable money was offered at one time for a right away through this land which is another error l have talked with most of the property hold CTS and they are all of the poinion that if they give their part of the land that it would be very greedy in their neighbor to ask them to pay anything for the neighbor's land. In fact sev- eral of the property holders made 1t very plain that il there was any money 10 be put up from any source what ever that it would have to be divided pro rata or that there would be noth- ing doing across their land. But to get down to common sense there is no one to put up any money for anybody as the parties who are asked to donate the land are more benefited than any one else.
 The town of Tempe does not care whether we ever have a road there or not as far as the town is concerned. We who live on the proposed road do our trading in Tempe (road or no road). They will not sell a dollars worth of goods more or less (rOad or no road). They do not deliver over this particular part of the country and it is nothing to them if We use a cow trail to get out and in on. If we can prevail on the county to make and maintain a public road through these two sections they have surely done their part of the work. The pri- Vate road that serves these three places is a disgrace to the community and a jackrabbit would likely break his leg if he undertook to go through there by moonlight.
 Under the existing conditions there is no possible show for anyone to get dollar out of anyone else for thls right of way either now or in the flu future and the road would en- nance the value of the land ad- within one year.
 The convenience of the road is what appeals to me very strongly for myself and for my immediate neighbors. Also it would open up a direct road from Mill avenue to the center street of Mesa making a convenience for the public that could not be fully appre- ciated till after the road was built. The parties who refuse to donate their land seem to think that it would be of immense value to their neighbors but of no value to them.
 Nov; that is rather a narrow view to take of the situation for no one of us would use the road more than those same people who refuse to do- nate.
 l suppose each man through whose property the proposed road is project ed think that he is put out more than anyone else in rearranging his fences. ditches and borders. l find that one of the arguments of those who wish a for their land. Now aft er deliberately looking over what each man has to do to get his land in shape ! should the road be put through l know that it would cost me at least s2 where it would cost any other man s1 to rearrange things. I already have 3 much better road in front of my | place than those who are holding this public improvement back. It is to De