The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1916-04-27
HIRST TELLS OF BOND ISSUES
Chief of State Highway Commission
Tells Kenosha Boosters He Favors
County Bonds But That Towns May
Issue Them IF They See Fit.

United action on. the part of the
towns of Somers and Pleasant Prairie
was practically agreed upon at a big
booster road meeting held at the Elks
Club on Wednesday evening. This
united action is primarily for the com
pletion of the Sheridan road through
Kenosha county but it is certain that il
will also be useful in working out many
road problems which are common to the
two towns.
The meeting at the Elks Club was the
auspices of the Kenosha Automobile
club. More than hundred pepole were
present and nearly all of them were
road boosters. It had been expected
that there would be large delegation
from Milwaukee but former Mayor Dan
O. Head, who presided at the meeting
was notified that the Milwaukee and
Racine delegations had been forced to
call off the trip to Kenosha on account
of road conditions which made it i'm
possible for the automobiles to come
from Milwaukee to Kenosha.
A. R. Hirst, chief engineer of the
Wisconsin highway commission, was the
principal speaker of the evening. Pleas.
ant Prairie sent a very large number of
the members of its "Good Road Club -
and the large delegation which came in
from Somers declared that similar club
would be organized in that town at
once. AS soon as this club is organized
it is planned to have a joint meeting
of the two organizations at which the
whole problem of building roads is to be
taken up. The problem is mutual one
and it is thought that with a union of
the two towns it will be easy to work
out some plan to secure the completion
of the Sheridan road as well as the
building of a lot of other roads connect
ing the two towns. Tt is hardly possible
that the plans can be worked out so as
to make the completion Of the Sheridan
road possible for this year but it is
thought that it can be worked out so
that the permanent roadway can be COM
pleted by the end Of 1917.
Chief Engineer Hirst gave much of
his time to discussing the question of
bond issues for road purposes. He adj
mitted that he was favorable to the
county bond system but he pointed out
the methods to be followed by the
towns in issuing township bonds. He
held that the best way to get this ac-
ton was for the towns to issue bonds
for the amount of their share of the
road work, then issue supplemental
bonds for the amount which must be
paid by the state and go to the county
and seek bonds for the county share.
Mr.. Hirst declared that his preference
was county system of roads with the
bonds being issued in the name of the
county. He held that there was strong
probability of early legislation which
would make all road systems "county
systems. +" He held that the possibility
of such legislation would in no way
hinder the issuance of bonds by towns
as if the county system should be later
adopted these bonds would be taken
care Of
Mr.. Hirst was bombcrded with ques-
tions from the representatives. of the
two towns which showed that a great
interest was being taken in both Pleas
ant Prairie and Somers in the proposed
bond issue plans.
The meeting was turned into a gen
eral discussion of the road problem for
the county and many of the boosters
had chance to give their views and
to understand the views of others.
1t is shown by the figures which have
been worked out that about $165,000
would be needed for the road work now
planned in the two towns and it is
probable that the united organization
will work out the problem with this
amount as the basis of future action.