The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1917-03-23


Imam there is no account of such sup
|plies or equipment
The balance of the road funds are
|spent under the joint supervision o.
1.-THE commissioners and the county ell
lgineer and includes permanent high
Iway contracts, bridge contracts AMI
isuch other contracts as the board ma!
ldirect the engineer to supervise. Many
Ipeople believe that the engineer is re
|Qrired to supervise to an extent fan
beyond that determined by law. 1t is
the writer's opinion that the en- sineer
ing organization could be expanded
to handle the work of supervision AMI
do it more cheaply than both depart
lments could be handled separately but
as it would require legislation to make
this possible, it cannot be considered
for present purposes.
That there is a disposition 10 limit
the expenditure of road funds, as near
Ily as possible, to or within the commu-
mites from which the ak is paid and
to the full amount paid in BY such
communities, was evinced by 3 reso-
Hutton adopted by the association in
1916 requiring the board to eXpend
within each school district all the roa6
district funds derived from each school
district except where two or more dis
trict road clubs might agree to pro-
lgram of cooperation. In practice this
ihad the effect of creating some sixty
Tor more road districts with undoubted-
lily an unnecessary number of fCremeE
lreceiving foremen's wages, duplication
Iof equipment and lack of systematic
land constructive effort. School district
boundaries We're not defined with auy
idea as to their adaptability as road
district boundaries, and where school
district boundaries might have result
led in some advantage over the present
|situation, the present road district
boundaries intervened to prevent such
possibility. To those who justly or
otherwise felt that their funds were
being expended in sections of the
lpresent road districts remot. from
their interest, has been given tho
transient comfort Of knowing that
their money was being expended near
at hand but careful observers fail TO
find that the plan has brought about,
Igenerally, any systematic maintenance
or improvement of the main roads
from trade centers or shipping points,
to or through one or more farming
communities with possibly one or two
exceptions. At any time this school
district plan may be abandoned by a
lvote of a majority OF the board either
Jas whole and during the term Of any
board or for some particular instance
Tor period OF time, but, money paid into
the fund Of a properly established road
district cannot be expended in any
lother district, no mater how large or
Ihow small the district may be, except
|by consent of the electors.
1t is possible to lay out syst, m of
|road districts wherein sections of the
country having a common interest and
|similar conditions of development
would be grouped into one district
Common interest in any road to q
ltrade center is naturally the strongest
Itie and again, the trade center with its
adjacent lands and improvements
with high valuations is naturally in
Iterested in all roads leading into it.
thence it would seem that trade or ship
Iping points should be at the center CT
the district. Based on the foregoing.
lone district would include all the Mol
Ison and Chesaw country, one the Okla
Inogan valley around Oroville, includ-
ling Ellemeham, Golden and surround
ling country, and it probably would be
lbest to include Chopaka, Loomis and
Ellisforde; one around Tonasket and
Riverside as centeis and including the
lAntoine, Bonaparte, Chewiliken. Tunk,
johnson, Pine and Aeneas creek val
lleys and the Horse Spring coulee
Icountry; one with Omak, Okanogan
land Malott as centers and including
lOmak creek, the reclamation Troject
Happy Hill, Salmon Creek valley.
Pheasant, Loop the Loop and Chiiwist
valleys, the north end Of the big south
Ihalf plateau and possibly for the pres
lent, the Nespelem country, though tie
Halter should soon be made separate
district: one with Monse and Brewster
las centers, with their tributary terri
ltory. and one with Pateros as its shir-
Ip:ng point and including the Mothow
VALLEY.
Road district taxes paid in these dis
ltricts would be expended within their
Irrespective districts: variable district
ltaA rate would be possible; going up
as high as ten mills if it could be af-
Iforded and was needed without add
ing an unnecessary burden on sections
within other districts, or as low us de
Isired without injury to needed i'm
lprovements in adjacent territory; Il
Imore equitable distribution of the tax
on the improvements along the river
would be possible; systematic plan
! for the improvement of roads from
) ltrade centers or shipping points 20 the
lextremeties of the district would be
! lmore easily followed; it would permit
, Iof an attempt at least at better super
Vision over areas that one man might
REASONABLY be expected to manage in
lperson, and If the supervisor system
lin such smaller districts failed, there
, is no reason why it could not be drop
, Iped without loss of any other advan-
ltage secured, judging from the fact
THAT the present districts operate With
= tout supervisors.
One consideration that should he
: weighed by any advocate of increasing
I the number of road districts, pa,ticu-
|larly along the lines mentioned IS thai
+ lit probably would result in some
2 Ichanges in the commissioner districts
5 flor purposes of nominating menbers
: Iof the board. While the law does not
I,- ,&at hot
r missioners districts must not overlap