The Colfax gazette. [volume] (Colfax, Wash.) 1893-1932, 1912-01-19
.COLFAX TO GET
Improved ROADS
WORK WILL SOON BE RESUMED AT
TOP OF ALMOTA GRADE old
CONTRACT CANCELLED.

Whitman is one of the most active
OF the 80 counties of the state of
washington in improved road build
ing" said w. ]. Roberts, state high
way commissioner, when he was in
this city Monday. The unusually
large number of Incorporated towns
or trade centers has something to do
with the active interest taken by the
people. Under the new highway law
the construction of an improved road
must begin at trade center or at
the end of an improved road which
begins at a trade center. Whitman
county is unique in another way, in
that property owners are petitioning
Tor the roads and are putting up Is
per cent OF the cost. If property own
ers do not petition for an improved
road the commissioners may order it
In where they please, as long as they
live up to the requirements of the
law, and the abutting property own
ers escape the 8 per cent assessment.
Whitman county people see the ad-
vantage of the better roads and are
WAIiluS " pay LOT Cn0m.
TO get down to actual figures the
8 per cent assessment is not so high
as might be imagined. A man own
ing property abutting on one side of
the highway for a distance of one
mile will have to pay only $4OO to
$500 according to the cost of the con-
structiOn, which is running from S.
600 to $4,000 mile.
This county is not keeping up
with others, Yakima for instance, in
the purchase of modern road build
ing machinery" says Mr.. Roberts.
1T is economy for the county to own
modern machinery. / believe, too,
that county commissioners should
hold office for two terms if they are
honest and competent for it usually
takes one term for commissioner to
learn how to spend county money
properly"
Commissioner Roberts trip to
Whitman county at this time was pri-
marily to adjust the differences with
the county commissioners and con-
tractors over the contract on State
Aid Road No. Al, south of this city,
on which work was begun about two
years ago by Ilse & Elliott who lost
money on that and other contracts
and quit work.
Since the conference on Monday
the state proposes to cancel the con-
tract and turn the road over to the
county to be completed under the
provisions of the new highway law
and about $1,000, which has been
held up by the state, pending the COM
pletion of the old contract, will be
road building.
The proposed improvement on
State Aid Road No. AZ covered a dis
tance of about two miles and about
rs per cent of the grading was COM
pleted before the contractors became
insolvent. The pay which the con-
tractors received from the county
practically covered the cost of the
work which they completed.
While here Commissioner Roberts
went over the provisions of the per-
manent highway law with the COM
missioners and county engineer bring
ing out points that have been in ques-
ton. He also went over the contracts
made last fall with The Wilson-Bailey
Construction company and o. H.
Stratton and suggested some changes.
Messrs. Wilson and Stratton were
present and agreed to the changes.
Plans and specifications for I'M
proved Road No. 4 running about two
miles southwest from Pullman, which
have been under preparation in the
engineers office, were turned over to
the state commissioner for his ap-
prOval. Mr.. Roberts expressed to the
commissioners his satisfaction over
the accuracy of the plans which have
been submitted to him from Whitman
county at different times He said
Whitman is far ahead of some other
counties of the state in that respect.
Commissioner Roberts is well
known in Colfax where he served as
city engineer for three and a half
years beginning in 1892. He had
charge of putting in the first water
system and the first large sewer in
Colfax. He expects to return here in
the spring to spend several days Wis.,
iting the road work which will be in
progress at that time.
The first contract to be let by Whit
HAL COuuly Tic new 1dW 1OI
the construction of water bound ma
cadam road with blanket treatment
of oil was to o. H. Stratton of Spo-
kane for a piece of road about one
and one-half miles in length extend
ing from Palouse City towards AL
mota. The contract price was $12,
665. Mr.. Stratton has been on the
work this week and is beginning to
open his quarry and is getting out
rock ready for active construction
work as soon as the weather will per-
nit in the spring.
Improved road No. is at Garfield
extending for trif1e over three miles.
This contract was let to the Wilson
Bailey Construction company for
s23,270. About one-half the grading,
including nearly all of the heavy
rock work, was done last fall and the
work will be pushed to early COM
pletion in the spring.
The contract for Improved road
No. 2. extending a little over mile
towards Palouse from Colfax was let
to The Wilson-Bailey Construction
company for $500. No work has
been done on this contract.
Plans and specifications for I'm