Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1917-02-14
Dinner Is GIVEN BY
LANE COUNTY Member
G. ". Griffin, Who Represents
Lane County UnOGcialIy,
Was Host

4
the Lane county court, and the Eugene
ChambeS of Commerce. and who is
known as "the silent senator" was
host at a dinner at the Marion last
night, which was the means he took to
express his appreciation of the eourte-
sizes extended to him by the members of
the senate, the state officials, and mem
bers of the house Of representatives
while he was doing duty here as the rep
resentative of Senator Bingham. He
admitted that his interest in road mat
ters was the prime cause of his consent
ing to come to the Legislature.
Good roads and good fellowship were
the keynote of the evening. Mr.. Grit
fin SAID that road legislation was the
most important before the legislature
He declared that the statement that he
was sent here to get salary increase
for the Lane county commissioners from
So to SIS day was not true but he as
sumed responsibility. He said that at
the last session the legislature reduced
it from So but that was caused by a
personal difference between Senator
Bingham and one of the commissioners.
The people of Lane county, he said,
were satisfied to have the salary at $5
for they realized they had good COM
missioners.
| H. B. No. 81, or the Bean-Barrett bill
as it is called, which provides for the
issuing of bonds by the state to match
deferal money for the construction of
rural post roads, he declared was not
vicious bill and should have the sup
port &C the legislators He said the road
! ii Nn
excellent bill but he said it was mis-
take to mention the subject of salary in
the measure. He cited California, which
has its highway engineer salary of
$4,000 year. He thought that matter
ought to be left in the hands Of the
highway commission. He also thought
it was a mistake TO pass the bill with
the salaries of the highway commission
at 5000 a year as the road building in
the state win require the constant and
exclusive attention of the commission
ers.
The host called on Senator Pierce,
who, although, he at first opposed seat
ing Mr.. Griffin, yet later learned to
like him and appreciate his worth. The
senator said that the future held much
development in roads as there was inn
Eprovement in methods Of travel in the
past quarter century. The old water
bonded macadam road is doomed gone
forever, and must be replaced by hard
/ surafee, he declared.
1 To meet the situation some say bond,
and some say not. The question now has
4 become terrific issue, he thought III
4 the men here now vote for the bond Is
sue with the emergency clause, he de-
| clared it would retire them all to priv
ate life. He did not say bonding would
not come, but he thought special cleo
tion for levying d millage tax of one or
two mills for road purposes would be
satisfactory. The men now should brush
aside personal wishes, get together, and
solve the problem of spending one mill
lion successfully before attempting to
spend eight or 10 million.
Representative l.. =. Bean, Of Eugene,
spoke of the merits of the Bean-Barrett
bill and said there was no other way
under the six per cent limitation amend
ment, no other way can the state meet
the requirements of the federal govern
ment in securing the $1,S90,000 for con
Etruction of rural post roads during the
next five years. He discussed the road
situation in Oregon. He said there was
now ready $205,000 Of government mon
ey if the state can meet it; jim June
he said there would be 1888, ,000 or the
sum of $488,000 for the year 1917.
| Oregon cannot afford to lose this ap-
preparation and the Bean Barrett bill
meets the provisions of the Shackelford
| measure. He asserted that it would be
short sighted policy to turn the mat
! ter down. He showed that in all the
five years practically only bond issue
of 100000 would be required to meet
the federal government demands with
| other sources of revenue the state has.
He was of the opinion the senate was
playing football with his measure but
he hoped the bill would pass with an
emergency clause so road work could be
begun at once.
Representative Schimpff of Clatsop
county, told about the Columbia high
way west, and he related how his coun-
! ty had tried to cope with the situation
/ by bonding and that as result they
were deep ia the mire of debt so that
they are not able to bond any more and
virtually had to 4'hock their socks"
Il. J. Adams, of Eugene, good roads
booster, who was filled to the brim
with. facts, spoke about Oregon roads in
general. He said he hoped to see the
road supervisor abolished. He stated
there were $4,000 miles Of roads in Ore
gon and that to hard surface only $500
miles would cost eighty million dollars.
In 1915, he said, the counties of Ore
gon spent four million on roads while
the state spent 100000. He declared
the time was coming when the govern
ment would spend 500 million dollars a
year for building good roads.
Governor Withyconlbe expressed his
qualification at the courtesy extended
to him during the session and said the
state was not in such bad shape regard
ing roads as some might think He be-
lieyed in the Bean Barrett bill anG
thought it would "get somewhere" /" The
funds should be made Immediately
available, he thought The great prob
lem of road construction, that of grad
ing, he said, was already done. He
prophesied wonderful Improvement in
roads in Oregon during the next five
I years but he doubted the wisdom OF
1 floating bonds for roads.
/ Gus Moser, president of the senate,
4 - IL IL =