The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1916-09-14
SANE SUGGESTIONS FOR
OREGON ROADBUILDERS
From the Oreeonianl

VI It's fttoufces nor tne immensely OF
its stretches until he travels over il.
The state has an area.:of 100, 900 square
miles and it is 300-odd miles wide from
its north to its south boundary and 400
odd miles from its east to its west line.
Within this vast expsnse live less than
1.000. 900 people. In these days of
quick and easy transit they are not
dismsyed by distance and they are
alive to the need of first class roads.
A great highway has been built up
and down the Columbia river at a cost
of 1000, 900; and large sums have
been expended on roads, main and lati
eral, elsewhere. Every community is
straining its resources to the utmost
to realize its proper desire for roads.
Some have done more than others, be-
cause they are financially able; and
some have had to have help.
Take Hood River county. Il is in
line with the Columbia highway, but
it has small population and it has not
been able on its ewn account to respond
as others would have il do. Now there
is an opportunity to get some govern
ment aid, and Hood River, aided by
Multnomah, has been quick to see it.
But there are complaints that Portland
and Hood River are seeking to 'hog"
everything at the expense of the state.
The Oregonian the other day had
something to cay on this subject, and
now it has received from Salem read
er clipping from the Capital Journal,
voicing the same protest, as follows:
when Portland grabs that money
appropriated by congress for roads on
reservations and builds an auto road
around Mount Hood. she will be so
gorged with scenery that she can't
look at common folks. Douglas county
could use the entire amount to good
purpose and where 1t would be of real
benefit to the state. Scenic roads are
all right when we can afford them, but
just now the states crying need ia
roads that will open up 1agricultursl
lands and make them productive. II is
an example of the good roads faddist
at his best, which means his worst.
TO Portland it no doubt seems the cor
rect thing, but to the balance of the
state it savors of what our Portlan
contemporaries call pork"
Undoubtedly, the government funds,
or the state funds, or any funds, could
be spent to great advantage in Douglas
county, or anywhere in Oregon. But
there is little money available and
there are many deserving projects in
state SO large as Oregon. Not every.
body can be satisfied at once. 1t would
be folly to divide the government mon-
eys, or even the state moneys, into
many little items. That is obvious.
The Columbia highway is of first
Importance in Oregon, if the basis of
its value is to be determined by the |
volume of travel. 1t is the only high. |
way open the year around between
eastern and western Oregon. 1t serves |
more people than any other road. 1t is
more than scenic road, though its |
value in scenic sense is great 1t is
not only all attraction for visitors, but |
it is highway which every citizen of
Oregon is free to use. and which thou
sands of them do use. They are proud
of it and they are glad it is being
built.
There are other highways in Oregon
of merit, doubtless of equal potential
merit. Take Crater Lake. The gov
ernment is spending thousands of dol
lars in road development in Crater
Lake Park, and it is unthinkable that
the state, or the adjacent counties, or
all together, will neglect the duty of
making adequate connecting roads.
There are ambitious plans for great
Pacific highway and for other roads,
and the farmers Of Oregon, who have
daily use for roads, naturally want to
reach the market places, and they in
sist upon adequate consideration for
lateral roads.
Clearly there is much to do in Ore
g0n, and not enough to do it with.
There cannot be all at once trunk high.
ways connecting important points, and
scenic roads, and community roads.
But there can be systematic and intel
llgent wor k for improved roads and CO.
operation between all interests to give
each its proper attention. Just now
there is disposition indeed, some-
thing more than disposition-for one
group to oppose another, or for one
community to prefer its interests to
another's. The business of effective
road development will 60 but slowly,
if it goes ahead at all, unless there is
more of a get-together spirit in Ore
gOn.
The Oregonian has no more interest
in the Columbia highway than it has
in Crater Lake, or the Pacific high
way, or any other higway, or the lat.
era roads which are indispensable to
the service of farms and farmers. But
it can see no good in methods which
appropriate little here and a little
more there-just enough for a start,
and not enough for real DEVELOPMENT
and necessarily it wants the best SER
vice done with the small amounts
available to the largest number, but
that is not enough. There ought to be
enough road money in Oregon to build
roads-good roads-in every county
and into every section. The counties
and districts have already laid out
enormous sums - much of it sheer
waste, through lack of a continuous .
and intelligent policy-and they are !,
willing to raise and expend thousands
more. Yet they cannot afford to ig-
nore the plans of other counties and n
districts, nor the larger plans of the
state.
There have been in the state highway
fund up to this time the proceeds of a III
small tax-first one.half mill and now II
one.quarter mill. 1t is a poor time, in III
Iced, to suggest an increase in taxes, III
and the Oregonian is no friend of the II
or tax eaters, as it has abund. II
lntly shown. But it believes pro- II
'oundly in good roads and In public OK II
,enditure therefor. 1t is almost will. II
ng to say that the quarter mill tax is II
70 meager that it ought to be abolished II
I it cannot be increased. 1t thinks II
he state tax ought to be at least one III
Mill. Why not? There is not a road III
district in Oregon which does not will III
ngly tax itself the limit-up to ten III
Mills per annum-but when it comes to III
state tax there is hesitation and on III
'osition. 1t ought not to be so. III