Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1912-02-20
Public Road Problems and Road
Construction.

Public Road Problems and Road
Construction.
Ed Journal; 1t seems, according
10 Nature Student, that the good
roads advocates of our cities, includ-
ing the governor, who favor the issu-
ance OF road bonds, are making mis-
leading statements about our roads,
either intentionally, or because Of a
superficial knowledge and grasp Of
the subject; the latter view being the
most likely.
For instance, according to the
public press, Governor West has
been having exhibited pictures show
ing the good roads built by honor
conyicts; and the mud roads that
are the work OF other people. Now
1t is unfair to exhibit pictures Of the
roads taken only during the worst
winter conditions throughout the
year.
Others in figuring the loss in the
increased cost of traffic over our
present roads compared with what
they figure it would cost to conduct
the same traffic over the roads they
say they would build state that the
people OF Oregon are losing about
TWO million dollars annually in this
way; but they fail to submit the fig
ures and challenge them to do SO.
The fact of the matter is, that most
of our roads are in fairly good con-
dition from the first of April to
about the first of November, or later;
consequently for seven months or
more during each year most of the
roads of the Willamette Valley and
probably all over the state can be
Travelled by the autoist, as well as
those hauling heavy loads.
1t is during these months that our
crops are nearly all harvested and
hauled away to market, before the
muddy season commences, and when
1t is not muddy or too dusty a dirt
road is easier and better for the
horses to travel upon than macad-
amized one; hence, where is the
great saving in transportation cost
that the theorists figure out2 II we
have fairly good roads seven months
in the year when the traffic is heayi-
est is there not a limit to the extent
we should. go in providing better
roads the other five months to serve
the needs OF the lighter traffic? ?
There are worse things than tenn
porary mud sink-holes in the public
roads that the people Of Oregon
might have occasion to meet and
overcome. For instance, interest
upon uncalled-for bonded indebted
ness, followed by huge gratis for
public funds. The mud-holes in the
public roads can be avoided to a
great extent in winter and will nat
urally dry up in summer; but 1t
takes hard earned casn to fill taxa
ton sink-holes. The people Of Los
Angeles county, California, have ex-
perimented with the road bonding
proposition, and are having both the
mudholes in the road and the taxa
ton sink-holes through the bonding
system.
The farmers would prefer to spend
their time in improving the roads
upon plans that would not create
such taxation sink-holes;; and not
be compelled to spend much time
in combating such plans, But five
must make a choice between having
mud-holes in the road during the
winter, or filling sink-holes in the
taxation system continuously for the
next 40 years, we will choose the
mudholes in the roads, as they will
be of less hindrance and less bur-
densome.
The governor states that be desires
good roads to encourage more peo-
pie to settle in the country, and he
argues that bad roads are the prin-
clpal cause hindering the more rapid
settlement OF the country districts.
| deny that such Is the case, and in
proof Of It would cite all to the
fact that American farmers by the
tens of thousands annually are flock
ing to Canada to secure cheap lands
in unsettled districts, where there
are no established good roads, Fur
ther, that whenever the United States
government throws open to home
stead settlement good land, that can
be acquired by those with little
means, that there is always a wild
scramble and rush to secure such
lands, regardless Of public road con-
dItions. To me these facts prove
that II is cheaper land upon more
liberal terms that is needed to build
up the country districts, and that
building roads hastily under a bond
ing system must necessarily advance
enc rrlce nj lands before u passes