The Caldwell tribune., 1919-09-05

added next month to the Canyon
county road building equipment, ac-
cording to an announcement made by
County Commission c. B. Ross.
This will bring the number to five
and make possible graveling four
miles of road every week that the road
building outfit is in operation.
-Four years ago Canyon county COM
missioners dispensed with the waste
full method of road construction under
the supervision of road overseers and
placed county road manager in
charge of the work. Since that time,
Canyon county roads have steadily
improved under a comprehensive plan
of road construction and betterment
which, If consistently pursued for
few more years, is expected to give
Canyon county the best system of
highways possessed by any county in
Idaho.
Non Bonded Indebtedness.
In pursuing the present policy of
road improvement through the apph-
cation of gravel as rapidly as the
roads can be graveled, Canyon county
has not incurred a cent of bonded
indebtedness for roads. Expenses of
construction have been paid from the
current tax levy and considerable ma
chinery has been purchased and paid
for. County bridge and road bonded
indebtedness is for bridges only, not
one cent of that money having been
used on county roads.
Work graveling roads will be pushed
every day for the next year. Follow
ing that time, according to the pres
~~A oL~l..to milf ha AAra
only during the five wet months of
the year and the remaining seven
months will be given over to main
tenance of such roads as require that
work Until that time, because the
county is so far behind in its road
construction program. no effort will
be given to systematic program of
maintenance but all efforts will be
given over to the business of road
construction. Road construction is
behind because of the haphazard
policy utilized for many years under
the old road overseer system during
all of which this county had scarcely
one mile of decent roads.
81 Different Methods.
c. B. Ross puts the situation aptly
of the old methods employed, when he
says:
Canyon county had 81 road over
seers with 81 different ideas and ad-
vocating 81 different kinds of road
Each road overseer spent on roads
during that time about as much as a
county commissioners salary amounts
to and entailed an annual expenditure
of approximately $4,000. The ex,
&t1s
has been made during the past four
years when results are beginning to be
obtained and much machinery and
equipment has been purchasd.
Use Road Manager System.
Under the present system, Canyor
county has a road manager who di
rects all of the work and who is re.
sponsible only to the county commits
sioners. He has full charge of map.
ping out the road improvement pro-
gram and directs the work of improv.
ing the highways. Because of the
fact that he remains at the head of the
work. 1t is progressing in a systematic
way, not influenced by the demands
of any particular community for som'
trif1ing work which, if done, woult
upset the entire schedule as arranged
At present. E, C. Hickok rs count,
road manager. He has working under
him on the graveling gang, three mer
at the pits and three. truck drivers
Because of the systematic method:
employed, highway construction en-
gineers have estimated that that force
is distributing gravel on Canyon coun.
fy roads at cost not to exceed &,
cents per yard That this is reall,
wonderful and speaks worlds for th'
methods employed is evidenced by thc
statements from the same authoritie'
that Twin Falls county highway dis
tricts are spending about $500 pei
more.
Also Build Bridges.
While the work of road gravelin.
is going on, separate bridge buiidine
gang is employed putting in perma
nent concrete siphons and culvert
ahead of the gravel crew. This worl
is designed to last generations and tn,
prediction is made that within thre
years, the county can entirely dis
pense with the bridge building crew
because the work will have been en-
aSAy NohPiCtSu ~ CHuuIc sOT llldU'
years. All concrete work under tn,
road is "a feet long.
1t was only last August that tn
present program as it is being fol
lowed now, got under full swing. Prio
to that time, no equipment was avail
able. About 100 mikes have beer
graveled in that time and during tn,
next year, that number will be sreatl,
exceeded. This does not take into
consideration that many miles whicl
were simply graded because of lack o
time to do more or because they wcr,
not main travelled highways.
Provide for Maintenance.
When the present program OF gray
eled roads is completed and mainten
ance becomes major portion of tn
future work. these cross roads will b
given their regular turn to be gravel
ed RecauSe Of the mare ;nDorto,