Los Angeles herald., 1910-10-30
AUTO CLUB SAYS
VOTE NO ON BONDS
Southern California Organization
Now on Record Against $751;
100000 Road Issue
OPPOSITION is TO METHOD
-
Society FavOrS Improving High
ways but Sees No Equity
in Proposed Plan

Directors of the Automobile club OF
Southern California have given out a
statement advising all automobilists to
vote against assembly bill No. 800, pro-
Viding for a bond issue amounting to
$1S,000,000 for the purpose of improving
the roads of California. In taking this
action the board states that while au-
tomobilists are unit in favor of good
roads the method by which it is pro-
posed to provide them cannot be ap-
proved for the reason that it disre-
CARDS the very essence of equity. The
statement follows
"On November 8, 1910, you will be
called upon as a voter to record your
will relative to the proposed $1S,0OO,OOO
bond issue under assembly bill No. $50.
"The Automobile club of Southern
California comedies without argument
that an extensive system of state
highways is greatly desirable, but takes
issue upon the manner in which the
aforesaid bill seeks to gain the desired
ends, disregarding as it does the very
essence of equity in its operations.
WOULD PROVE BURDENsOME
MANY counties of the state have al
ready made arrangements and assumed
Indebtedness for improvements of high
ways within their respective boundar-
les, and to these the authorization OF
such a bond issue would be burden
some under the weight of double tax
alton; especially as no provision has
been made for compensation to these
counties for the improved rights of way
to be acquired by the state under the
act
zone of the great dangers that beset
this act as now formulated lies in the
fact that no responsible men have been
selected to supervise the expenditure
of so vast a sum Of money as is pre-
medtated Temptation is offered for
the creation of a powerful political bu-
reau with the resultant evils of in>
competency and inefficiency and with
the Inevitable result that the people of
this state will be sacrificed for the few
and the whole state for certain Sec
lions thereof. In fact, the act is sim
gularly destitute of restraining safe
guards and provisions for disposition of
the money are meager and loose in the
extreme.
TOO MUCH LATITUDE
"The latitude permitted in the choice
of roads which shall compose this
great state highway appeals to us as
a serious defect; and the absolute alb
sence of any definite provisions for
maintenance is truly an error of the
gravest nature.
"Inasmuch as it is conceded that the
states system of highways VIII not
touch the environs of the county of
San Francisco the act releases it from
the interest obligation of the issue al
though the benefits to be derived by it
are as great if not greater than any
other part of the state. The Common
wealth club of San Francisco in its
proceedings of August 10, 1910, recog
nizes and emphasizes the utter lack of
equity in any such arrangement.
I'm conclusion there is reason for
sincere doubt as to whether this pro-
posed act could be put into practical
operation and failure so to do would
? give our cause of good roads a severe
setback for many years. There should
be no hesitancy in voting down this
proposed assembly bill No. 800 with an
emphatic No, if only for the reasons
stated above, which will be discussed at
greater length in November issue of
Touring Topics.
Board of directors Automobile club
of Southern California, by r. p. Hill
man, president"