Baxter Springs news., 1919-07-04
NJ G0Al8ETE
ROAD INiC0UN7Y
/ THIS YEAR
cSanlsuisaers Accept GaIsna-H Hoover
Rsaa-win Not Let, Contract
Until Funds Are In
MUET DONATE $12S,OOO
BEFORE WORK STARTS
An Federal Ala Money for 1888
Has Been Appropriated, Accord :
iag 10 Highway Commissioner

Following the public hearing before
ths county commissioners Mt Colum-
bna, Saturday, the general opinion OF
nll who attended Is that neither the
Calena- Hoover road nor the Galena-
Baxter road viii be constructed by
Federal aid, and therefore not at all,
even though the county commissioners
accepted the petitions Of the Galena-
Hoover road, declared the concreting
a. Il 70 be q public utility and refused
all requests or protests that Baxter
Gprings made.
The hearing began at Columbus
about 1890 In the morning and con-
timed with an hours recess at noon,
uAtil nearly 8 O'Clock in the afternoon.
Baxter Springs was represented at
Columbus by about 30 citizens and
GalenA by approximately 100. Galena
was represented by Judge Wilson as
their principal attorney and Baxter
b. r. e. Rosenstein of this city and
Allen McReynolds of Carthage.
On every point raised the commits
slonera sustained Galena and the ind
ings Of Calvin Cooper, the county en-
Kineer, who is evidently the main
spring and main reliance Of the board.
The commissioners were requested
BY both Attorneys Rosenstein and Nc
Reynolds to grant q continuance of
the hearing until such time as Baxter
could complete and file all her petit
tiOns, showing that although the Bax-
ter petitions were circulated and
signed, from Lowell west to Chetopa,
they were invalidated when Galena
withdrew her petitions between that
city and Lowell. That they were
withdrawn was admitted by the Ga
lena spokesmen. The continuance
was denied by the commissioners
without leaving their seats for consul
tatiOn.
The matter then went to a hearing
On whether or not the Galena-H Hoover
concrete road is a public utility. Bax-
ter was able to show that the road,
together with the long, unnecessary
bridge across Spring river at River
ton, would cost approximately twice
as much as the Galena-Baxter-C Che
tOpa road, and this was backed up
with expert testimony, given princi-
pally by J. B. HOgsdOn, consulting en-
gineer. It was shown conclusively by
Baxter that the Galena-H Hoover road
would cost the taxpayers of the cOun-
" at least $128, 900 more than would
the Galena- Baxter road.
The commissioners admitted that
the Calena-H Hoover road, including the
bridges, would no doubt cost consid-
erably more but declared that when
ever q contract Is let to build the road
that all the money, required to build
It, above $4,000 per mile and $4,000
toward the bridge, must be paid into
the county treasury or else no con-
tract would be let. The commission
ers announced that the road could not
east over $50 900 per mile, Of which
the federal aid must be- SIS 900, with
$4,000 coming from the county,
townships and road benefit district,
together with $4,000 that may be ap-
prOpriated by the county toward a
bridge.
The build II miles Of road, at $780, |
900 per mile, would cost $SS0,OOO, and
% build the RivertOn bridge would
cost $1eS, 900 1.-THE commissioners own
Agures), or q total of $51S,OOO. From