The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1911-03-17
ROAD SITUATION IS
CALLED DISMAL
STATE HIGHWAY DEVELOPmE"'
ONLY HAS OFFICE Ex-
PENSE MONEY.
Situation Created by Failure OF Roao
Appropriation Bill to Get Tnfous"
LeuisIature-Convict Called IN
County Commissioners Have Con-
troll. State Bureau Only Having Gen.
eraI Supervision.

| Olympia, March 13.-Since the
Twelfth legislature of Washington fall
ed to adopt any kind of plan for a
practical road program before it ad-
journed, the question of roads in TINS
state is so full of complications that
no one has yet been able to explain
satisfactorily what the situation really
is. It is agreed, however, that the
| cause of good roads is hampered SER
iously.
The state highway department has
been left with no funds available ex-
cept to conduct the bare routine of the
office work. The only important road
measure that did get through was the
bill as substitute for the state-aid-
road law. This bill, known as the Nc
Nicely bill, has been signed by Gov
ernor Hay and is in effect. Under its
provisions counties can carry on road
construction without the state partici-
pating in the work further than direct
ing the state highway commissioner to
determine the feasibility of proposed
roads.
Farmers Want Voice.
Heretofore there has been a One-mill
state levy for the creation of general
fund. This fund was divided between
the county roads and state-aid roads.
Under the working of this law, it was
necessary for every county desiring
state aid roads to raise an amount
equal to the amount raised by the gen.
eral road levy in that county. This
entire amount then went into the state
treasury. The proposed road was then
passed upon by the state highway COM
missioner and if he found it feasible,
he ordered the survey made and took
charge entirely of the construction of
the road. BY this method it was
found that the amounts raised for var
ious state-aid roads in many cases
were almost entirely consumed by the
cost of the survey. The farmers de-
manded that they have voice in car
rying on their read work.
Commissioner Supervises Only.
The new measure provides that the
work of surveying and building roads
shall remain in the hands of the cOun-
ty commissioners and the county engi-
neer. The state highway commissioner
exercises only general engineering
supervision. Although the salary of
the commissioner was raised from 3d.
500 to $4,000 a year, under the new
act he will have but little money to
spend and little work to do because
of the failure of the various other road
laws to pass.
There is reappropriated. however,
the sum of $94,92966 to complete con-
tracts now in force on state roads.
When these contracts are completed
work on state roads will cease, and
the highway commissioner will act
largely as consulting engineer for
the county engineers of the state
One of the effects of the defeat Of
the state road appropriation bill will
be immediate calling off of convict Ia.
Dor on the roads. Highway Commits
sioner Bowlby notified Warden Reed
to call in the 80 convicts that have
been employed in making the two-mile
cut at Carrolton in Cowlitz county, as
there will be no funds available to
complete the work there. Only half
of mile of work remains to be done
to finish the cut
State Aid Refused.
Senator Stewart of Kelso asked Gov.
ernor Hay to provide means to carry
on the work at the Carrolton cut, but
was informed that no assistance could
be given. Senator Steward says that
it will take about $4,000 to pay for
the work that remains to be done. He
declares that the people of Cowlitz
county will raise the money by pri.
vate subscription and go ahead with
the work. This cut is included in the
survey of the Pacific highway project
| over which the legislature locked
horns with the house and defeated
with all important state road under.
| takings.
| In addition. to the McNeely bill the
Basset law was passed, but it was SO
amended that a half-mill levy may be
raised for the purpose of creating a
permanent highway fund, but no pro
vision was made as to how the
money shall be used.
The McNeely bill is the only saving
feature of the entire legislation on
roads. One Of the great disappoint,
ments was the defeat of the Pacific
highway bill. in which the people Of
Southwestern Washington were inter
ested especially.
/