The Prescott daily news., 1914-06-05
WHAT SHALL WE DO
WITH THE ROADS?


citizens who yet realize what a live is
sue the above question is. Every
body is talking good roads Nearly
every man who comes to town now
makes plea to the county judge for
some improvement on the road that
he is most interested in. If | were to
undertake to do all the work that has
been suggested that | have done, in
different parts of the county, during
the present year and do it in a de-
cent way it would take $50,00000.
Most of the people making these re
quests seem to think that all that is
necessary is to tell the county Judge
about it and the work will be done.
| appreciate their interest in the mat
ter and am always glad to hear ex-
pressions of interest from them | am
doing my best to do their bidding too
but If those who make these requests
knew just how many other people are
in just as great need Of help as they
are they would not complain if we
do not get to them as soon as they
think we ought to.
There is another thing to consider.
/ The road tax for the entire county
amounts to about $10,000.00 per year
after the collector and the treasurer
have taken their commissions. Four
thousand dollars of this goes to Miss
ouri township leaving six thousand
/ dollars for the remaining twelve town
ships. In some of the road districts
the overseer has about 5000 per mile
| per year for road improvement. In
none of them does the amount exceed
$1,000 or $500 per mile. You are
the judge as to whether we can ever
build roads under the present system.
| said in the beginning of this ar
ticle that few people realize the i'm
portance of this movement. | might
add also that the people do not yet
realize what this agitation will result
/ in finally. After a year and half
of study and experience | am fully
persuaded that there is but one way
/ to build roads in this county. We
have tried every experiment imagin-
able almost and it is a settled fact
that the nature OF our soil makes it
impossible to build roads that will be
lasting out of common earth. Hence
the necessity of using gravel and
crushed rock. We have both in abun-
dance have tried them sufficiently to
prove their value. People are demand
ing that the roads be built and as
there is no other way to build perma-
nent roads we will sooner or later
come to this method and issue bonds
for that purpose.
Now don't blame me for advocating
this method. l am only trying to do
what you have insisted and are still
insisting that | do.
If you want the roads and are will
ing to pay for them you can get them.
otherwise we will continue to pull
through the mud and complain of bad
roads.
give below the sentiment us ex-
pressed by two of Nevada county's
best citizens. One is letter from Dr.
John H. Sutton the other expressed
by Dr. Wren while talking to mo on
! the subject of better roads.
DR.. Sutton writes from Little Rock
where he is taking post graduate
course in medicine and is as follows:
Dear Sir:-Thore are many theories
in regard to road building all worth
less without money with which to
build them. 1t seems to me that the
most sensible way would be to form
road improvement district, float some
30 year bonds and build the roads.
Experience has taught us that we can
not build roads out of dirt There
fore gravel. The tax we already pay
will go a long way toward keeping
up the interest on the bonds and the
increase in the valuation of property,
especially real estate will pay the
principal in 30 years and we can use
the roads while we pay for them.
think the bond issue is the only way
out of it.
Respectfully,
L n