Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-07-15
ROAD MONEY GONE
NOTHING TO SHOW
County Commissioners Wan
tonly Extravagant With
Big Highway Fund.
RECALL IS BEING URGED
RECALL IS BEING URGED
w. L. North Bosses the Show |;
Scoffs at Taxpayers; Aban-
don Maintenance Work.

Under the leadership of w. L.
North, autocrat OF the courthouse. the
Tulsa county commissioners since
they went into office the first of the
year have spent $194, 1894 on road
work. They have wasted all of the
road funds available and have gone
into debt thousands of dollars. And
yet today the roads OF the county are
in such condition that they are the
subject of indignant discussion among
taxpayers thruout the county.
Never has this county witnessed
such gross cxtravagance and incom-
potency. The only roads that have
been built or are contemplated are In
the vicinity of Commissioner North's
farm or contiguous to Sand Springs.
North is the avowed friend and con-
fidant of Charles Page. founder of
Sard Springs. In the last election
Page swung the Sand, Springs vote
for North and thereby enabled the
latter to overcome a terrific defeat in
the Broken Arrow district. Naturally
he is under obligations to Page.
Adverse Advertising.
No proof need be submitted as to
the deplorable condition of the roads
Any autoist who drives outside the
Tourists who drive thru here are Civ
ing out interviews in other cities TO
the effect that Tulsa county. with all
her boasted wealth and good roads
agitation, has the worst roads In Ok
lahoma.
So deplorable has the situation be-
come that the Chamber of Commerce
last week went on record as being op-
posed to the present ptiful road pro-
~
and disclaiming all responsibility for
the acts of North and his assistants
Citizens of Collinsvilie are openly
urging n boycott against Tulsa be-
cause the roads between here and
there have been neglected until they
are almost impossible. Thoy have
refused to take any further steps look
ing toward secession from Rogers
county until these conditions are i'm
proved.
There is open talk Of resorting TO
the recall as the only means of stop
ping the wild, extravagant systemless
and absurd career of North.
North Is on the job every day. He
has assumed complete authority In
running the affairs of the county. He
has discharged the county road en-
gineer. No more appropriations from
the state highway fund will be avail
able for this county until a competent
engineer is appointed who can ap-
prove the projects according to law.
Whole Hog or None.
Tulsa county is entitled to approxi-
mately $4,000 from the federal good
roads fund for roads in this county.
but North has taken no steps to ap-
ply for this He has made the state
ment that he would rather not have
the money than to let a government
road expert supervise the work.
He has vilified the hundreds of
business men who belong to the Cham
ber of Commerce by declaring that
1.-The Chamber of Commerce could go
to hell'', as he was tired Of them but
ting in.
Every road drag in the county was
ordered out of service in February.
Not a road has been dragged since
then. Up to the first of the year
thirty farmers thruout the county were
regularly employed to drag the roads
after every rain. They have been dis
charged. Nine teams formerly used
for maintenance work exclusively are
now being used altogether for con-
struction work on road that cannot
possibly be used for year or more.
Absolutely no maintenance work
has been done since the present county
commissioners went into office. North
does not believe in dragging or other
wise keeping up roads after they are
built.
Startling Figures.
When the present commissioners
went into office on January l there
was a balance in the road fund of
S113,216.27. The previous commits
sioners had left unpaid on their con-
tracts the sum of s61, ,597.53. Deduct
ing this from the total, there is left
the sum of s51. 1.616C4 that North and
his bunch had to start on. They have
spent every cent of this and. on top of
It, the startling sum of S,172.20,
which represents the amount they had
overdrawn on June 1, 1917. 1t prob
ably is much more than that now.
This amount will have to come out of
the new fevy. which will not be avail
able until the last OF August or the
first of September. The total amount
they have spent for road work ex-
clusively since January l Is s119.-
1884 In addition to that they have
contracted for work amounting to
s75.169. for which there is no fund
available. This makes a total of