The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1910-12-15
DIR. SAUNDERS ON
STATE AID
No Reason Why Country
Should Kick = City Pays
but Gets No Benefits.
Editor Daily World:

| have read with considerable in
ed on the question of state aid in
building roads throughout the state
and the source from whence this
state money comes would be of in
terest, and why so much discussion?
The source is a special levy of
one mill tax, and according to the
state tax commission this year, will
amount to $906,24S, and 51.92 per
cent is collected from within the cor
porate limits and the law fOrbids the
expenditure of any state aid money
within the corporate limits of any
town or city. 1t thus resolves Itself
down to this: The cities pay over
one-half of the tax while the coun-
try roads get all the benefit. Right
here it seems peculiar that the at
tack on state aid comes largely from
the country, while the supporters
of ii live largely in the cities, and
we are led to ask from where did this
discomfort spring? | believe that
am safe in saying in this county
from the county commissioners-ani
why? 1t is charged that where state
aid has been used, the state paid one
half of the improvement and the
county one-half. and that had the
state been out of it entirely the same
results would have been accomplish
ed with the money paid by the county
alone. Then what became Of the
states share and wht~a is the bad
management that sunk one-half OF
the taxpayers money in the two
pieces of road built in Chelan cOun
ty?
State Road Commissioner Bowlby
writes me that the average prices for
moving dirt on state aid work is as
! fellows: Dirt (less than 500 feet),
| 20 cents: rock solid, S1.14; screened
gravel in place, $1.35. while maca-
dam in place costs s2.16 per yard;
costs of engineering, about per
cent, with an average cost OF $lo5
per mile for location.
Some of these figures seem lit
/ tie high, but | would like to have
some figures from the county engl-
neer showing costs of work done in
! this county on the different pieces of
work. | have been constant and |
think careful reader of the papers.
and | have never seen such a thing
| in print, much as | have desired to
know it sometimes when coming
home on dark night.
Now it seems to me that we ought
collection of one-half Of the tax from
territory which asks no part of the
| benefits and receives none except
| country Improvement. However, if
| the road moneys are expended in a
manner that don't move dirt let
us have a new and better system.
If the old system is rotten, then let's
do away with it and get one where
We can get results.
Now my position on the good roads
question is well known and while it
would fall prett yheaVy on me, |
would be one of the first 20 sign a
| petition to improve the road from
! Wenatchee to LeavenWorth with state
| aid money for one-half and pay the
! other one-half in any manner pro-
vided by law. However, if the state
aid costs twice what county building
does, | would as soon have a special
| Improvement district formed and a
warrant proposition to pay the cost.
] certainly cannot at this time say
| | favor rejection of state aid, and
| bonding of the county, when the
towns want to pay one-half of our
road improvements. 1t is not to be
thought of.
Trusting that we will have more
light Oh this subject, and thanking
you for your valuable space, l am
! Yours for better roads,
II. A. SAUNDERS.