The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1913-10-16
CITIZENS TALK
ROAD BONDS
FIRST STEPS TAKEN TOWARD ISSUE
Representative lnSerestS Meet at CON-
mercial Club to Further Bending
for Better Highways

With a large crowd of business men
and ranchers present at a conference
at the rooms of the Commercial club
Tuesday night, the first steps toward
preparing for boud issue for better
reads for the county were taken. Hood
River people are not only eager to se-
cure ways and means of pushing their
portion of the Columbia river highway
to completion but desire to raise al the
same time sufficient funds to make a
better system of highways through the
valley. Under the existing laws, when
the bond issue for the building of good
roads cannot exceed two per cent of
the assessed valuation, Hood River
county's maximum bond issue will be
approximately $3.50. 900.
my interests are ready to stand
their share of the expense Of tho good
road improvement, said Chas. T. Ear
ly, managing director of the Oregon
Lumber Co. 81 don't think the sum
G&ntloned near enough, but perhaps
We had better start in small way and
get dollars worth for road for a dol
lars worth of money spent"
Chas. A. Bell, the largest individual
tao payer in the county, expressed the
sEme sentiuAhA MIR. Bell is one of
tie most enthusiastic boosters Cor the
Columbia river road in the county. al
igure that by taxation, If the road
were to be cgSstructed that way."
says Mr.. Beii "that my portion of the
burden wouA be about 400. but
ws4ald be willing to pay more
The money secured from b0ad issue
will be used in making permanent
roads. Louis A. Henderson. civil en-
gineer. stated that he had recently
been in communication with Prof. MeS
Allister, of the University of Oregon,
who had recommended the use of con-
crete roads. The concrete highways
will last longer and and while their
first cost is not very much greater than
that of macadam. the expense of main
tenance is very little. while that of
maRtaining macadam is greater than
the cost of building in instances.
Although a considerable length of
time will elapse between now asd the
time OF choosing the material, public
sentiment is strongly In favor Of the
&ncrete roads. -(oyy
The proposeQ bend issue will find
very nearly unanimous support. An
Intimation has come from A. |. Mason,
who Yas at the Tuesday night meeting,
g!ho hog.syeE, g.nS = mades ge6Ahls stag
6asntS SsH asdMs ssofst CO.'S pyfo ats slN-
foTtinG the recall will be opposId tu
the bond issue. Truman Butler madh
short sEsssch summing up the feelings
OF those present and depreciatingO the
fT;tion taken by the supporters Of the
recall, who have issued the statement
through Mr. Mason that should the de-
call election not carry. the Columbia
river highway will be opposed. 81 am
telling you these things at this tine,"
said R. Butler, Ito bring out all the
things you are thinking bout. have
been thinking about the matter, and
can see thoughts bristling around over
the room now. | am sorry that the
Columbia river road is in any way
drawn hHo our politics. Our court
should, and Uill. stand on its own !
nprits. 1t is unfair for the supporters :
ofQhe recall to bring in the Columbia
highway in this manner.
Commissioner j. r. bitnam spoke at
length, calling attention to the need of
q suEey of the county's road system
before any definih action is taken to-
ward securing TIE bond issue. MIR.
Putnam advised the appointment OF
committee, and later on
the motion of Mr.. Bell, action was
taken for the appointment of COM
mittee of five non partisan, representa-
tive citizens to make study of the
needs of roads.
One of the most interesting of the
speeches of the evening was that by s.
A. MitcheBk who stated thaehe hoped
the Columsia river highway would go
through. MIR. Mitchell. who has been
study of local statistics, cited
the number of acres of unimproved
land in the valley, land that would he
each year. He called atten-
tion to the need of good 6ads and of
The economy they wqUld bring about.
Even If we have toEpend $1,000 year
for interest on our bonds," said MIR.
Mitchell "this is but Sl.50 per capita.
And we are ready to spend that much
money on thiegs we enjoy"
Mr.bBell lasar declared that it would
be an excellent scheme to acquaint the
people with just how much tn bond
Issue would cost. "They have an idea
that 1t is going to be expensive and
they will be SO burdened that they
cannot stand it. Just give them the
figures And show them" he said.
w. l.. Clark, president of the club,
called attention to the cheapness with
which roads are being constructed down
in Jackson county. major Bowlby
recently told me how all interests were
in aiding with the building
Of the road, and those folks" said Mo
Clark, "are going to have concrete
highways at cost not much greater
than that of a macadam.
+. o. Blanchar spoke briefly. "Some
of the words of the government expert
who addressed US last Thursday even
ing, have stuck with me-" said MIR.
Blanchar. 'He advised against the
issue of bonds for period OF longer
than the life of the road, and | think
such suggestion worthy of considera
tion. / am not going to get started
further on roads; for | am so full of
them that ! can never stop. But |
would like for any one to give me a
valid reason why Hood River county
should not go ahead with its road
by bond issue, if it can get its
money on six per cent bonds.
On motion of Wilmer Sieg, the sense
of the Tuesday night meeting was ex-
pressed as being in favor of the board
of directors of the club conferrng with
the county court and making prepsra-
tions for the expense of collecting an
exhibit for the Panama fair at San
Francisco in 1916. 1t is the purpose of
the club to have the main display of
the county at the Horticultural build
ing, where it will be seen by more peo-
pie. However, Leslie Butler, who was
a member of the Oregon delegation,
which selected the site for the Oregon
building. says that it is in one of the
most favored spots and will be visited
by at least 80 per cent of the people
Continued on Page 81