The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1916-05-12
SAVE THE MACADAM ROAD

|
10 the People of Athena and vicinity
What are you going to do with the
macadam road'
You know its present condition.
You know it is rapidly going to pieces.
You know that the bulk of the road
taxes of the entire County has been
sunk 10 this foolish piece of road
building and is in Danger of being en-
tirely wiped out. Bow are you going
to save it? There is quarter Of
million dollars and more of the road
tax money of UmatilIa county invest
ed in this maoadam.
| II you vote down the bond issue,
how and where are you going to get
the money to hard surface this mao
adam? You can not get 1t by spec
ial tax levy, for the other sections Of
the county will vote solidly against
you. for you deny them road and
their only chances to get roads is by
this bond issue. You cannot take the
hulk Of the tax money of the entire
county any more. The last lsgisla-
ture passed law prohibiting this
very thing.
You are facing an acute road con-
dition and serif us one if you stop to
give it little intelligent thought.
Unless this macadam is hard surfaced
at once, ID will be total loss and the
only method and only source from
which you can expect money sufficient
to lay this hard surface is through the
bond issue.
This bond issue, you know, is not
going to increase your taxes. The
figures are very plain. the tax is 90
cents on each 100000 of assessed val
uation for the first years and the
average tax for the entire IA years is
only $2.04 per $1,000 and figured upon
the present assessed valuation Of the
entire County of $4,000. 900, AS this
valuation increases the tax will de-
crease as new lands are brought on
the market the taxes will deer ease and
above all as the enormous maintenance
charge of $1,000 a mile against your
macadam road under the present con-
dition is wiped out your taxes will de-
crease.
You want good roads and you know
down In your hearts that the only
feasible way of securing this is through
the bond issue. You build your city
water system, your school houses aud
all other necessary public improve.
ments through issuing bonds and you
do not consider these bonds a mort
gage on your homes nor will you con-
slider the road tonds such.
You get the roads and you get Lack
in labor aud through labor rs per
cent of what the roads cost. In other
words, $500. 600 Of this money will he
expended in labor alone.
But laying all this aside the actual
situation which now oonfronts you de-
mands serious thought. II you are
going to save your macadam road you
must get busy at once and unless you
do get busy and save it by hard sur
facing 1t, you ale going to lose all
that you even have now. You know
You cannot expect the people of the
rest of the county to donate you money
to hard surface this road when the
other sections have not even mao
adam base for their use. .
These same men and same interests
who are so loudly protesting against
t0ud issue ON the grounds that it will
increase taxes are the regular calamity
howlers who raise this same cry every
time pnblio improvement of this
character is proposed. They are the
blg rich men of the county aud In
proportion they pay less taxes than
the snail farmer or small business
man, but they always raise this howl
aud make their appeal to the people
to protect them and make 1t possible
for them to escape their just and pro.
poitionate share of the taxation. Let
them howl. The money they have
they cannot take with them; many of
them will te dead hefore the bonds
terminate and the streets paved with
gold will be no joy or satisfaction to
either them or their descendants left
in Umatilla county.
Think it over. Taks it home with
you aud seriously consider.
Active Umatilla County Good Roads
Association. Paid Adv.