Bisbee daily review., 1912-07-23

the several boards of supervisors a copy of the new state road law, ac-
 companied by a letter explaining it's Iyarious features as construed by the attorney general, a copy of which let ter l will mail you.
 ' Hoping to see you on my trip to ' Cochise county, l am,
 Yours very truly.
 (Signed) LAMAR s. COBB. State Engineer 1 Should Act Now
 The matter of how and where the ! ccuntys share of the state road | tax fund should be spent, and how ' the county road fund should be eX- pended, must soon be decided. that 1 is, in the fall or the early winter, and on this subject Dr. N. c. Bledsoe, [ than whom there is no more earnest good road advocate, and who is su. peryisor of the Borderland Route .n this district. recently expressed him self. At that time he stated that he believed there should be meetings called of those who are interested in
 the movement for road betterment, and at those meetings it should be decided where the expenditures were most needed. what sections of road
 should be built, and how they should
 be linked together to the test ad- vantage of all concerned.
 There will be differing interests ! that will have to be adjusted to pro- duce a general satisfaction, and while these meetings can do nothing i of themselves for the expenditure of funds, they can make recommenda' tiOns, and if these be made strong enough, they can win the approval of the supervisors when the time
 shall come for action by that body. Want Another Route The present line of the Borderland Route goes out from Lowell and around by the way of Hereford. There | has always been found objection to ! this route for a state highway. This
 objection comes chiefly from those who believe that scenic route to ] the Grand Canyon from the various other sections Of the state is not
 the most important object in securing 1 a state highway. but that such 8 | thorOughfare should be primarily for 1 the purpose of forming lines of com i municatiOn between the more i'm 1 portant cities, towns and villages 0i
 the state, so that Tanchers and others may have more easy access to tht centers of supply.
 Bisbee has always wanted the lin. of the state highway to pass out fron this city over the divide, and thence 10 St David and Benson, rather thar
 to go out from Lowell and by way 0 Hereford. The proposed route toward Tombstone would give a readl
 side trip to that city, and would q
 the same time be an accommodation
 to many more people than is thu IFresent route of the Borderland high
 way.
 Harry Locke, has just returnc,
 from an extended trip through th
 state in connection with the mapping
 of the roads. He states that ther
 are no less than three routes tha
 can be taken from here to TucsoG
 all via St David and Benson, an
 that by doing so the traveller avoid
 the road that has been built in tn . Catalinas. He admits the sceni | beauty of that piece of state higl , way, but like many others Who hay [ been over that piece of road, he Coy siders it dangerous.
 | ! In proof of this. he tells of ho' . narrow the road is in places, ho' ! winding. and with what sharp curve , and quotes numerous narrow e
 capes from collisions that have T [ ready occurred.
 - Benson Route Feasible It is now a little more than a yea 3 since there was a controversy b l tween the people of this county an \ the territorial officials relative to tn :. route which should be taken. At thf 2 time, people of Pima county side with those of Cochise county, bI |, found the territorial engineer an ! board of control obdurate. The la ter maintained that it was impract
 cable to build a highway via Benso . maintaining that the character of n T soil was such that it would be e i, tirely too costly in upkeep to mai | tain.
 {, There are others. however. wi l. have never agreed with the old boar '. oE this subject, and maintained thi n the object desired by that board WI IT to build tourists boulevard alOn f without attention to the commerci s needs of the county.
 r Speaking of soil conditions, Hari $ Locke declares that there is no dif e culty in building and maintaining t highway through Benson to Tucso T which, though not so interestiI a scenically would be of more busine
 importance, and relative to the see
 ic qualities. says that the road in u
 Catalinas is such that the driver L the car must be so constantly ale
 to avoid accidents on sharp curv h. and turns, and the passengers so bui t in looking for soft spots to light i- case of accidents that the possibi e ties for enjoyment of the real II beautiful scenery are minimized o5 Thus, a matter for the people