Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1914-03-26
ANSWER Of GEO.
|. WILLIAMS
To "A Farmer" on Good Roads
and High Taxes
Mr.. "a. Farmer


to your nine questions, mainly
addressed to me? In justice to my
self and fair dealing, l ought not
to make any reply to you. "A Far
meT" may mean most anyone, from
a pretended farmer to a complete fail
ure or a shiftless one 1t may mean,
for instance, l. Amundson, or o. J.
Leu; or it may mean Sam MerWin-
Hereafter, please come out in the
open or keep out of print.
You certainly could not have read
my article, which you refer to, very
carefully, or you would not ask some
Of the questions You do. You will
please excuse me for not answer
ing at the present time very fully,
because it so happens that 1 have
been for the past two weeks and will
be for the next two, very busy on
important matters in Court.
Now briefly taking UP your mine
questions in the order stated by you
my answers are as follows:
l. The State Aid Highway law is
to blame for some increase in our
State, County and Town taxes. Of
course, lit is not to blame for the
whole of the increase. / tried my
level best last fail to secure the
repeal OF the appropriation in May
of $10,000.00 on that Marshfield-Pitts
Vile road. l did not then and do not
now think it fair that the County
should build that road without the
Towns through which it passes con-
2. l think the County Board three
years ago WAS in part to blame for
putting more roads ON the map than
it WAS entitled to, under the limi-
tations of the law But the State
Highway Commission at Madison was
more to blame in approving of the
improper action of the County Board.
g. The law does not leave the Coun
ty Board amy authority to say what
roads shall be built, unless it be
some main roads, like the ONE lead
ing from GRAND Rapids to Marshfield,
by way of PittsVille. | was not in
favor of that road, hence have no
defense to make for it's selection.
A. I can't answer this question. It
depends ON too many local consi-
deratioms, and no two cases would
be exactly alike. The County Board,
however, has no power whatever TO
decide which road shall be built first.
The County Boards action ON al
most amy of the questions pertaining
10 State Aid Highway work, is sub
iect to the approval or diIsapprOyal,
inst of the County Highway Commits
sion, and, second, Of the State High
way Commission at Madison.
5. do not take very much stock in
he so-called experts sent out by the
Highway Commission. Mr.. Hirst is
AN expert, but his ex-
periemce with roads, from his own
statement last November, has been
in States where there were
no such winters as Wisconsin has,
and the soils are very much different
a hn1 hof htp i11r.C
ment of the County Board Us fully
as good aus to What should be dome
and how the work should be done,
as is that of Mr. Amundson. In this
let me say, that l firm
~ believe in having proper specifi-
CATIONS drawn and the bulk of the
work let by contract to the lowest
bidder. None of the road work has
been done this way.
6. You know, Mr.. Farmer, that you
lid not find a single thing in my ar
,icle which insinIuahed in amy way,
shape or manner, that l thought a
farmer was to blame for getting a
Job ON the road and helping build
he roads. l do, however, serious
y object to so much work being dom
hat men cannot be obtained without
paying excessively high wages. In
his matter, in my Judgment, we have
yeen bitting Off more than We can
chew.
Z. Your seventh question is too
silly and too rank to call for AN
answer on my part.
s. Yes, Sir, I think it would be
1 good thing for the voters to in
strrct the Supervisors with regard
TO being careful about spending the
county money and levying taxes.
And l believe that every town, vii
age and city should elect the best
men obtainable for the County Board.
8. do not understand this question
and hence cannot answer it. If you
will tell me in some future comGnuni
cation just what you mean Or refer to
and sign your name. I will be glad to
try and give you such information
rs l have.
Now, imconclusion, if you have any
more questions to ask, please get
down to business and sign your name
Yours respectfully,
Geo. L. Williams.
Dated, Grand Rapids, Wisconsin,
March 23rd., 1914.
LIHKhPnn WORM KILLER tx.