The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1916-09-14
Committeeman
TALK ROADS
new SYSTEM OF WORK PROPOSED
Prospective Plan Calls For But Two Road
DistrictS-Federal Fund to Be
Asked For

The fate of Hood River road con-
struction for the next year is in the
balance. Whether county road work
will continue next year under the old
system of supervisors. each in charge
of small portion of the community, or
whether a more efficient new method
shall be inaugurated, will be settled by
the citizens themselves, at a meeting
to be called by the county court on
Saturday, September %. Such was
the plan. as outlined Wednesday night
last week by a committee of "a. the
various members of which represented
all county and city interests. including
the Commercial Club, the oranges of
the county, the county court and the
city council.
1t was proposed at the meeting that
Hood River county next year be divid-
as possible and the other to be COM
prised of the remainder of the COM
munity. This plan was devised be.
cause of an existing law that provides
that the county court shall divide the
county into road districts. 1t would be
preferable to local road enthusiasts
that the county in tho entirety should
comprise a single road district, but ac-
cording to legal interpretations, at
least two districts must be provided
for. The construction of the county
roads, in case the new plan material
izes, will be placed under supervision
of competent road engineer. and i'm
provement of old rods and building of
new ones will be carried on under a
general system. While minority of
the committee of "a are opposed to the
plans under way, the entire committee
has agreed to the plan of allowing the
will of the people of the county ulti-
mately to rule. and the county court
has expressed willingness to give the
new plan a trial, provided concerted
expression of those present at the pro-
posed meeting demands such an action.
: Last weeks meeting was attended
by J. T. Schuyler, of Portland. a road
engineer of the Office of Good Roads
of the United States Department of
Agriculture. who spent Wednesday af-
ternoon with County Engineer Hurl-
burt in an inspection of local high
ways.
The proposed new road plan will
follow closely the system already put
into effect in Multnomah county.
Under our existing road laws"
said d. e. Cruikshank, "no one is to
blame for tue inefficiency of road con-
structiOn. But under our new scheme
we hope TO get away from the expen-
sive and Ineffective work that in the
past has necessarily been accomplished
by road supervisors, who are appointed
by the court to take charge Of the road
work in their respective small COM
munities. Roads are built we'll in in
stances under the old law, it is true,
hut there is 10 regard to the benefits
that will accrue to the entire commun
ity."
1t was announced at the meeting
that the county court would make ap-
plication through the State Highway
Commission for federal funds, as pro-
vided under the recent federal road
act. to be used for the construction of
trunk line road through the Hood Riv-
er valley to connect the Columbia high
way with the Loop highway extending
around the base of Mount Hood to the
old Barlow road. Since applications for
the federal fund to be appropriated be-
tween now and June 80, 1917, must be
made before October l. the local appli-
cation will be a provisional one, ac-
companied by brief. asking that
Hood River county receive portion of
the federal money provided bond is
sue can be voted and survey made of
the proposed trunk road bisecting the
orchard districts.