The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1914-10-22
ROOT PROPOSES A
SKILLED ROADMASTER
Hood River. Ore. Oct. p. lsl4.

MOOD River, Ore., Oct. II, 1914
Editor Hood River Glacier: In re-
gard to the proposed bond issue for a
belt road through the Upper and Lower
Valleys, an opinion from the county at
torney has made il clear that an cleo
tion for such a bond issue cannot be
legally held until July Is, next. The
election for the Columbia river high
way bonds was held on July Is, 1914,
and year must elapse before another
similar election would be in order.
Under the circumstances, the chair
man of the committee having this mat
ter in charge proposes to suspend until
sping any further definite steps toward
this widely endorsed road betterment.
But in the meantime il is necessary
that the strong and growing determin-
alton in the valley to do away with our
serious general road conditions should
continue to chafe in helpessness over
the situation, and take no steps what
ever in the direction Of good roads?
In answer to that question, let US see
what nearby county of Oregon has
done in our own plight.
Umatilla county found herself where
we are. She was indulging in the ex-
travagance of bad roads--like ours.
Her farmers were wearing out their
teams and breaking their wagons haul
ing small loads over rough, steep, un-
necessary grades and through mudholes
like too many of ours. The road su-
pervisors were doing the best they
could in the time they could spare from
farm work, with the inadequate equip
ment at.their command, but they could
not meet the difficult situation because
they were not road making experts; ;
they were just good, hard working
ranchers and farmers-like ours.
Umatilla county decided that the fault
was with the system. They said that
perhaps making and keeping good
roads may be a task needing special
knowledge and training. When we have
a watch fixed or an appendix removed,
they reasoned, we employ a trained
and experienced specialist, put him to
work and leave him alone.
They tried the same plan for their
road trouble. They found somewhere
in the east man named d. II. Martin,
with the reputation of a successful,
practical getter of results in road work,
experienced in handling all types of
soil conditions. Against strong opposi-
tion from the ever present element who
can always be counted on to resist any
strong determined move toward right
ing an intolerable condition, they en-
gagged Mr.. Martin as road master, and
gave him as free hand as they would
give matchmaker or surgeon.
Starting against this opposition, d.
h. Martin is today popular man in
the county. He got the results. He
knew how to tackle the difficult job,
and month by month the roads i'm
proved under his trained and epxeri-
enced management. He was a busi-
ness man, tactful, of good common
sense. He worked through the old su-
pervisors as far as possible, but all the
work was done where needed most, at
the right time, and with the best possi-
BILE materials, everything considered,
planned and managed by one trained
head.
Umatilla has shown US the way out
of our plight. 1t is specifically author
lied by the statute. Let us have a road
master, man with both technical
training and successful practical ex-
perience; someone from outside the
valley, for if we had such a man living
here already, the situation would have
brought him to the front before now.
Our county court is alive to the fact
that we are taxing $45, 900 year, as it
is, for road work. and that nowhere in
the business world is such sum spent
annually for one specific object except
under the management Of capable
expert. If this county were spending
$45,0O0 year on buildings, would the
mechanics who did the building work,
plan and supervise it too?
Let us consider and discuss this plan,
and see if there is available man who
can do for us what Martin is doing for
Umatilla. Our time and effort will not
be wasted, for our county court is in
favor, if | am not mistaken, of put
ting into effect the law providing for
the appointment of road master, if
they can be assured of having the right
man, and if public opinion supports the
move. They will not hang back. feel
sure, on the mere ground that it was
once tried here with man who, under
the peculiar circumstances and handi-
caps then existing, did not measure up
TO the full equipments.
Yours truly, Ralph Root.