Imperial Valley press., 1912-10-01
STILL SOME DOUBT CAST
ON THE HIGHWAY ROUTE

Careful study of the reports of pro-
ceedings in Los Angeles looking to the
building of a state highway fall to
give the assurance the people here
would like to have that the road will
be built through the heart Of this val
ley. The most that can be obtained
is the statement that IL 1t is found
that the road can be built through the
Holtville route 1t will follow that line. |
but the statement is made with such |
evident reservation as to cause some
doubt of the real intent. !
AS everybody knows, there is a
stretch of several miles Of drifting |
sand on the route near Cucamonga,
and that stretch unquestionably re-
'quires some special effort to keep the
road open. but the Press has kept its
ear to the ground to see whether any
person suggested building the highway
by way of Santa Ana, Yorba and Riv
erside to avoid that stretch of sand,
and as yet no one has done so.
Five miles of drifting sand will re-
quire some effort to keep the road
open, but there will be more sand thar
that encountered by the Mammoth
route, and reservation of the Los An
geles papers and road boosters in
dealing with the subject as though the
Holtville route offered some insur-
mountable obstacle does not look just
right.
To do full justice to Los Angeles.
that city is not accustomed to halt
over the obstacle Of five miles of drift
ing sand. Had William Mulholland
called the attention of Los Angeles to
a stretch of sand in the way of the
great aqueduct and expressed doubt
whether it would be possible to build
through ii, he undoubtedly would have
become the laughing stock of Los An
geles, just as the good roads boosters
of Los Angeles will be the laughing
stock of this valley IL they let this
little impediment stand as an excuse
| for the sidetracking of this valley from
the National highway.
| 1t might as we'll be understood now
that the people of this valley will not
| take seriously an objection to this
route based on the presence of this five
miles Of sand, but will judge the sin
| cerity of Los Angeles in it's professions
| of interest in this valley by the route
| it selects.
! If Los Angeles really desires to build
into this valley and on to the east, II
| will do so. If it wishes to so build
i as to bar San Diego from participa-
| ton in the national highway, it will
| adopt the Mammoth wash route and
| sidetrack this valley, using the sand
! of the east side as a pretext to conceal
its purpose.
! Unfortunately the people and the
| newspapers of Los Angeles yet
| speak in such uncertain tones that it is
impossible to tell just what their pur-
pose is.
| Tribune's Comments
WILDER =. Hall in the Los Angeles
Tribune thus gives a very vague hint
of the attitude Of Los Angeles on this
| subject
With 1000 already pledged, three
| road construction crews working, ana
with kilograms pouring in from the
| east consratulating Los Angeles and
promising cooperation all along the
| line the men who are working to real
! iZe the dream OF an Ocean-t . ocean
! highway, with its Pacific terminus at
| Los Angeles, feel that their first four
days of active campaigning have been
! a success. They are prepared to start
today for new subscriptions with ener-
gy and zeal that will make their first
half week look tame by comparison.
! The highway project in question Is
almost year old, but il has been ap-
| propriated by private individuals and
newspapers heretofore so that there is
much confusion as to the significance
of the plan. The advertising bubble in
! connection with the proposition nov
has burst. and the men who are work :
ing for it are working on purely
business basis to the end that they ma y
actually have a national highway
Thus far the national ass ociation has
achieved these things:
Decided on general route and in.
terested the governments of the states
through which this route runs.
| Gained an active and enthusiastic.
membership of 100000, scattered
through fifteen states, in an organiza =
ton to further the plan for an ocean-to.
ocean highway.
Succeeded in obtaining pledges of
support from a large number of rep
resentatives in congress for a bill
| which will provide for the construc-
ton of national highway, the fed
eral government bearing half the ex-
| pense and the several states benefited
bearing the other half
Engaged the support of states, cities
and communities all along the line so
that from this city to New York the
trail is being blaZed. roads are being
improved, connections are being made
new surveys are being run, and when
congress and the several states are
ready to locate the national ocean to
ocean road the peoples highway al
ready will be in use. 1t then will be
only matter of making a permanent
highway on the route followed by the
pioneers of the movement.
| 1t is on this theory that the Los An
geles auxiliary and the various citi-
Zens' committees are working. As far
as southern California Is concerned, the
| highway is completed from Los Ange-
les harbor through the city to Ban
| ming, in the San Gorgonio pass, as
good roads exist between these two
points. The Colorado desert lies on
| the eastern side of the pass and OK
tends TO the Colorado river There are
roads between Banning and Yuma, but
| they are not good roads and in the
winter time they are frequently impas-
| sable.
The 100000 Los Angeles is seeking
to raise will be added to funds raised
by the smaller communities between
Yuma and all this money will be spent
for actual construction between Ban
ming and Yuma. Some 80 miles of the
road along the west side of the Salton
sea have been put in shape by the Los
Angeles auxiliary to date, and the
three crews now working are between
Mecca and Brawley. Brawley enthusi-
asts have greatly improved the roads
west from Brawley for a distance of
20 miles. The biggest piece of con.
struction will be that crossing the
desert east from the Imperial valley to
Yuma, either by way of Brawley and
Mammoth wash or HOltville and the
sand hills. Holtville property owners
are pushing a road east from their
city and If they succeed in getting
through and maintaining their line, II
probably will be followed
Meantime Arizona ho. conn nan