The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1915-11-04
RUSSELL G. POND
DISCUSSES ROAD
PsrkdsIe. ore. Nov. ?. 1915

PaIkdsle, Ore, Nov. ?, 1915.
Editor Glacier: In looking over last 4
weeks papers | was surprised to see
where a portion Of the old committee /
on the Upper Valley loop road had APP 1
peared before the budget committee /
and secured sanction for expenditure /
of $40. 600 in the next year on this pro |
posed loop road. | was surprises be- /
cause for many reasons / had been |
happy tO believe 10 the past year, since /
the question was up before, that the /
ideas and schemes Of the clique boost |
ing for the so-calied loop had been en- |
tirely set aside by public opinion.
Ia the few paragraphs that follow /
wish again g. call attention TO the fact
that in publicity championing no partic |
ular route on method of construction In
connection with solving the Upper Val
ley's deplOrable transportation problem
am merely raising my lone, weak voice
in advocacy Of putting the coun-
ty road matters under scientific man
agement and in this connection | make
no exception of the upper valley and
connecting links. BY this ! do not
mean that | lack any private ideas on
the subject, for my past training and
experience eutltle me to a very clear
conception. However, until such time
as am called upon by someone IN
authority 10 outline my plan | shall not
burden the public with il. Ia this con-
nectiun, however, do wish to reterate
that the plan Of a loop IN the Upper
Valley as advocated by the so-called
committee. is unsound in the light of
economic analysis and Furthermore that
the gentlemen in question have exceed
ed their delegated authority by deslg-
mating any route at all. This commit
tee was merely picked at an informal
meeting held at Parkdale 10 appear be-
fore the county court and ask that an
engineer be commissioned to study the
situation aud report.
have before me Bulletin No. 1856 of
the office of public roads, Department
of agriculture, Washington, d. c., en-
/ titled, Highway Bonds, which Is
rather technical in nature but contains
some very pointed paragraphs peculiar
ly fitting to our situation in Hood Riv-
er, not to mention some excellent pho
/ tugraphs. The following excerpts are
/ given as examples of what the bulletin
/ concludes as automatic:
"Ihe common error, however, in
county bond issues is to fix the sum to
be voted on aud to demand an eXor-
bitant milage for that sum"
"a typical method of mismanage-
ment is to distribute the funds equally
on all the roads in the county or district
issuing the bonds. "
Through a misunderstanding of the
essential principles underlying the es-
tablishment Of a proper county road
system conflicts of interests sometimes
arise which cause the failure Of the
bond issue plan. The location of the
roads to be improved should not be de-
termined by argument but upon sound
engineering aud economic principles. "
Highway plans for bond issues re.
qure expert skill and professional ser
vice. Before the amount of bonds Is
determined thorough study Of the
needs Of the county should be made and
careful maps of the proposed highway
system should be prepared. The sun
to be issued should not be fixed until il
is reasonably known what 1t will ac'
compliah. 1t is customary for many
counties To- appoint a commission OF
business men under whose direction thu
bond money is expended, In otheI
cases the county supervisor or commits
t sioner has the determination of eXpen
e ditures. The best results have Away
a followed where such commissions o
a county boards have secured the ser
I vices OF higwhay engineer.
q In conclusion let me state that al
y though | feel that the plans and mo
p tives of the loop men are to be con
? demned, | do think 1t is high tim,
something really constructive was be
gun. Already year has passed since
the attention was hrst directed to th'
Upper Valley situation. If the "pow
ers that be" in the county are reall.
sincere in seeing the situation tackle,
and settled, let them get together an
start something and not wait for th
1 Upper Valley people to decide amonl
themselves. Experiences during tn
past year or two prove how unaVaiIin:
that method is. Finally, we hear th
cry of hard times in the land. My an
Z swer to that is that if we have none
r to waste on uuguided expenditures an
> money to waste in hauling over road
u resulting therefrom, we have money t
y expend wisely. Again. it should b
=, remembered that money spent for goo
roads not only soon pays for itself, bu
Z helps bring general prosperity as wei
}, Russell &. Pond.