The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-06-28
BOND ELECTION TO
Be CALLED SOON
County Commissioners Reach
Decision After Conference
With Government Expert.
DATE NOT YET FIXED
All Details Are to Be De-
tern1ined Upon at an
Early Date.
DATE NOT YET FIXED

Decision TO call bond election fol
road building in the county, the time
OF the election and the amount OF
the bonds to be fixed upon the receipt
or report to be made by q govern
mcnt road expert from Washington,
was reached by the county commission
ers al noon yesterday following a con-
ference with B, H, Burrell, a govern
ment expert
After the meeting, the commission
ers filed out a formal application blank
asking the national public roads of
nee at Washington TO send out a road
expert to make q survey of conditions
IN Salt Lake county. This application
was forwarded yesterday afternoon.
Upon the report OF the road expert
will rest the decision of the commits
sloners as to the amount of bonds to
be issued, the number of miles Of road
TO be improved and the kind of mate
rial TO be used.
Representatives of the Commercial
club insisted that the commi ssioners
fix Immediately the amount of bonds
and the time of election, but on advice
of Mr.. Burrell. is was deemed wiser
10 await preliminary report from an
expert road builder.
will be completed and returned to the
commissioners from Washington with
in three or four weeks, and it was
agreed tentatively that the best time
for calling the election would be about
August - or September l. It is prob
able that the actual building of the
roads will not be begun until the
breaking of winter next spring.
Many Miles of Road.
The county has about 500 miles Of
roads, bnt to spread the entire bond
issue equally over this entire mileage
would be foolish and a waste Of money
according to the government engineer.
AR Burrell told the commissioners that
he did rot believe more than 200 miles
or possibly 175 miles, could be put into
frst-elass condition for a million dol
=. 1t is probable that 100000 will
be put into the construction of first
class, modern, permanent roads and
the other 100000, provided the amount
OF the issue is fixed at $1.000,000. into
repairing the lesser neighborhood roads
The main portion of the issue at any
rate will go into the building up Of
the main travelled highways of the
county.
Informal discussion as to the kinds
OF materials TO be used in the road
building campaign resulted in no agree
ment of any sort. the government ey
rert explaining that it would be inn
possible to determine that important
question without a survey of condi
tons. study of traffic questions and a
thorough investigation into the cost
OF materials in this locality.
The principal outcome of the confer
cnce Yesterday was that no action
should he taken until an absolutely
Il l.
plan of procedure had been worked
out with the aid of the federal govern
ment,
Important Questions.
Mr.. Burrell pointed out that the cost |
of maintenance and repair and the
questions of permanency must be con-
sidered III every phaze. He told the |
commission of instances where counties
in other states had, against the advice
of the federal experts. gone ahead with |
their own ideas of road building and |
had constructed system of roads of
which no vestige remained within ten
wears 1t would be the height Of folly, |
he explained, to build roads that would
not last at least as long as the life of
the bond issue
On the advice of Mr.. Burrell it was
decided TO leave the choice Of the ex
pert TO the government He himself |
will stay in Salt Lake until the gov
ernment has taken action on the appli
cation for an expert and If he is del |
esated TO the. mission he will proceed |
at once to survey of the county roads
as they now exist, The cost TO the
county of the federal aid will be nomi |
nal, consisting only of furnishing ia
cilities of the expert. such as transpor
ta:ion. hire and personal expenses. This |
cost will not exceed $4 or $5 a dav. The
SALARY Of the expert is paid by the |
federal government.
The commissioners announced that
no increaea in the tax lew will result
from tl,c hond issue. which they are
confder- ran be taken care Of out
OF the general taxes at the present
rate Of levy.