The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1915-03-13


meetings the last four years by
several self-sacrificing men of
Colville who spent their own
money for the benefit of the coun-
ty as a whole, and put this coun-
ty on the road map of the state.
For the last three years Louis G.
Keller of Colville has be en- promi-
nent in the work of the state as
sociation as an officer and COM
mittee member, and other Col
vile people have assisted at the
various meetings. No other towns
of the county took sufficient in
terest to send man even to
the last Spokane meeting.
The program fixed by law and
by the association is to build
roads from trade centers. When
Stevens county through its Col
vile representatives finally con-
vinced the association that it
was still part of this state, it
secured recognition in the road
program, and as Colville is the
largest town, and the trade CEN
ter of the county, the association
demanded that the money for
this county be used to build from
its trade center according to
law. The resolutions committee,
of which Mr.. Keller was a men,
ber, and which drafted the res
olution which has now been adop-
ted by the legislature, asked
which way from Colville the
road should be built, and the an
swer was South, toward Spo-
kane" Not the people from
Colville but the rule of the as
sociation fixed the building of
the road from Colville. But Col
ville's man on the committee de-
cided which way from Colville it
should be built.
When the state associations
recommendations were drafted
into a legislative bill, an immedi-
ate cry went up from several
otherparts of the countyto change
the location of the road, build it
somewhere else, start it some
where else, or do something be-
sides build it from Colville. Yet
in all the previous years no effort
had been made in the association
by any place except Colville to
even secure money for any road
in the county.
The people from CheWelah
south, and the residents of the
Columbia river country, some of
whom sent letters, kilograms,
and even a lobbyist to try to
change the recommendation, took
grave chances on losing the road
money which had been laborious-
ly secured for this county. Sew
eral other counties wanted to dip
in and change things. and had
the bill been opened up for a re-
apportionment, Stevens county
could not have retained it's big
share. 1t is evident that great
misunderstanding was prevalent
in regard to the road fund, and
had the opponents read the bill,
or even read the Examiner during
January, they would have learned
the folly of trying to upset the
first real gain this county ever
made in the state road program.
1t is unfortunate that every
part of the county can not have
good roads at once, but other
counties are in the same fix.
When the state program is car
ried out. in building trunk roads
from trade centers, the other
sections will be cared for.
The Inland Empire highway
was decided upon two years ago.
Spokane county is building to
Deer Park. Stevens county will
now build from Colville south, TO
connect. The present funds will
carry almost to Chewelah, and in
two years the funds can be Sc
cured to continue to Deer Park,
with a chance to continue from
Colville north to the boundary.
With the primary road built. the
secondary roads can be attended
+o and tha Col,,rohia riuar oo,,ntry