The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1910-01-27
AS TO BETTER ROADS
minneapolis Man Imagines Commits
sioners at Fault as Regards
Road improvements.

5Fzt IS
Have Done and Are Doing All That
the Law Will Permit Them to
Do in the Matter.
a Minneapolis man, one who is
an extensive owner of real estate in
northern Mile Laos county, incloses
a clipping from the Union with
reference to the taxation of lands for
road purposes held by spectators at
prohlbitive prices, and adds: 81 will
venture to say that there is not a large
holder of land but what would well
come good roads and gladly pay his
proportion of taxes. for one would
be glad to see a north and south and
an east and west road through every
township in the county; then we land
men could sell land. There is one
thing Notwithstanding Mile Laos
county to be one of the best stock
counties in the Northwest Mile Laos
county will never settle up until there
are better roads. The sooner the
commissioners of your county realize
this the better it will be for the
county. The D. S. B. johnson Co.
wanted roads and we're willing to ad-
vance money for that purpose but
what assistance did they get from the
county commissioners? What Mile
Laos county needs is a board of
county commissioners that will look
after the interests of the county and
give us good roads. We land men
will do the rest.'
The Uni o will not quarrel with
it's Minneapolis friend over the propo-
sition that good roads are essential to
the development and. up-building of
the county. The Union will go to
any length to further the cause of
good roads, But our Minneapolis
friend does our board of county
commissioners an injustice. For the
past ten or fifteen years, and especi-
ally in the. past five years, very
generous treatment has been accorded
the north end of the county by the
commissioners in the division of road
funds-previous to that time little or
no county road taxes we're levied. In.
fact, in their zeal to provide funds for
roaps> the commissioners exceeded
their authority and levied more taxes
for that purpose than the law per-
.mitted. Prior to. 1907 tax of only
one mill on the dollar could be levied;
since 1907 tax of two mills can be
levied. The, total valuation of the
county in 1909 was So, 249, 562; a two
mill tax on that amount would pro-
duce fund of 81, 491.12. This year
there has been a slight increase in
the valuation. There are five COM
missioner districts in the county and
it is hardly reasonable to expect that
the entire county road and bridge
fund could be expended in one dis
trict. But. if the entire amount was
expended in one district it would not
make much of a showing. AS pointed
out in the Union heretofore the
towns can levy road taxes to the
amount of 20 mills on each dollars
valuation-10 mills to be paid in cash
and 10 mills in cash or in labor at the
option of the property owner. In
other words, the towns can levy ten
times the amount of road taxes that
the county commissioners can. There
is not town in the county save one
that has ever levied the maximum
amount of road taxes. The county
commissioners do levy every dollar
the law will permit of, then why attach
blame to the county commission:
ers?
The proposition made by the D. S.
B. Johnson Co. was a liberal one,
but the county commissioners could
not comply with the terms of said
offer for the simple reason that they
had no authority in law for doing so.
It is utterly impossible for the
thinly settled counties of northern
Minnesota to cope with the road
problem unless state aid is forthcom-
ing. The U Mo n IS plan of a general
one mill state tax for road and bridge
purposes will provide the means to
furnish that assistance. Will our
good friends in st. Paul and Mime
apolis cooperate in the effort to
secure an amendment to the state
constitution that will provide for a
general one mill state road tax?
Rev. Gratz at NJ. E.. Church.
A large and appreciative audience
crowded the M r. church On,.Tuesdav