Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1919-04-08

Dekalb, Ottawa and Streator. The
county appropriates no money for the
bond issue roads and has no voice
whatever as to where or how they
shall be constructed.
'3. Federal aid roads-Congress in
1916 passed what is known as a fed
eral aid road act, under which appro-
priations have been made which are
available to the State of Illinois. To
meet the federal appropriation the
State of Illinois in 1917 appropriated
$1,326,000 to be available as a federal
aid road fund, to meet the apportion.
ment made by the State of Illinois by
the act of Congress. This money from
the fedora. government to the State
OF Illinois is to be used only in con-
struction of such roads as may be
agreed upon by the department of pub
lie works and buildings and the sec
rotary of agriculture
1T will be noted that in the con-
struction of federal aid roads the
county board has nothing to say either
dS " lOtdllUu VI tOHSlIuCllOH.
The department of agriculture at
Washington and the department OF
public works and buildings of Illinois
agreed to construct a road known as
the Chicago-Springfield road In order
! to secure the passage Of this road
through La Sale County it was neces-
sary for this county to provide $751;
G25 for the purpose of paying one
third Of the cost OF the federal all
road through La Sale County. The
county board made the appropriation,
levied a tax and large proportion
OF the money has been collected and
Is in the county treasury
THE department Of public works
and buildings in connection with the
department of agriculture decided to
improve the south road between OF
tawa and La Sale as a federal all
road, As stated before, the decision
as to where the road between Ottawa
and La Sale should go lies exclusively
with the two departments above
named, and the county board, from a
legal standpoint, has no voice what
ever in the matter,
Under the arrangement by which
the county agreed to provide S1S7. 625
for the improvement of the Chicago
Springfield road, this sum, together
with any other sums paid by the
county for the road selected as a fed
nra1 MD rnDI tbrpa,uh T a CnIt So
should be refunded to the board for
tls9 improvement of such other state
aid roads in the county as might be
designated by the board of super,
visors. This means that if a federal
aid road were constructed through the
county and the county paid the $751;
625 that sum in due time would be
returned to the county and might be
used upon any state aid roads in the
county, which might be designated by
the board of supervisors. This re-
fund to come TO the county only On
conditions that the state bond issue
was approved by the people and that
the bond issue was determined to be
the same as the federal aid road i'm
proved with said county money.
THE department Of public works
and buildings made proposition to
the board that in addition to the fed
eral aid road south OF the river, the
county might have bond issue road
between Ottawa ani La Sale north
of the river The estimated cost Of
the road north OF the river between
Ottawa and La Sale was S330,000 If
the north road were constructed as a
bond issue road the county would
waive its right to the return of about
1920, 900. as will be shown later, but,
as is readily seen by calculation in
subtraction, would secure the benefit
of substantially $4,000 expenditure
on it's roads.
The county board, under an appar.
ent misunderstanding of the facts, de.
clined the proposal made by the de
partment of public works and build
ings to construc. the two roads and
passed resolution in favor of con-
structing one road only between OF