The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1919-02-18
RESOLUTION PASSED AUTHORIZING
ELECTloNFo VOTING ON ROAD QUESTION
Board Members Take Broader View of Things in
Matter of Road Building; Permanent and
Practical Hard Surfaced Roads Wanted
USE SISTER STATE AS WORTHY EXAMPLE

True to our prediction, the county
commissioners at their meeting last
Friday, passed q resolution authoriz-
ing an election for the purpose of
voting a sufficient sum to secure for
the county, system of permanent
and practical roads. The members of
the board are certainly to be con-
graduated on this account and we
feel that there is not a citizen or tax
payer who has given this matter
serious thought and consideration,
but who will agree with us that it is
the most progressive and far sighted
movement yet undertaken by our
community. At a time when the gov
ernment is urging the promotion of
all necessary public work to relieve
the situation brought about by the
return to civil life of million or
more of our soldiers, it is pleasing
to know that our officials are fully
alive to the situation and have acted
accordingly. With the rapid growth
and development Of Bingham county,
it is only right that our highway
system should keep pace with the
stride of general pr0gressiveness
which Is so apparent in every
quarter. Nothing SO strengthens the
commercial and industrial life of a
community as does a system of per-
feet highways, and as an advertising
medium as to the progressiveness of
its people it stands alone. The ex-
traordinary development of highway
traffic during the past few years has
made the road Of yesterday obsolete
and useless. The cost Of maintain
ing 1t at standard efficiency has
become prohibitive and calls for con-
tinual reconstruction, the cost of
which in few years, would amply
pay Off a road Of permanence.
Good Executives
We have faith in our commission
ers. We believe that they will uti[
ize every effort possible to secure for
us full dollars worth of road for
each dollar invested. We believe
that when it comes to the selection
of the type of road to be built, that
they will carefully and conscient-
iously investigate all phazes of the
question, and will not be lead to
deviate from the result of their hon
est convictions, by any influence
which might be brought to bear upon
the part of those whose prejudice
or personal interests might lead
them to contend for any special type,
irrespective of the worthiness Of that
which might be In competition. A
highway differs from q street pave
ment in many ways. Being narrow
its traffic is concentrated along one
track. It cannot be protected as
can city pavement by ordinances
regulating the class of traffic which
passes over 1t. : It must be built to
Withstand the ravages Of excessive
weight and high speed. Tractors
drawing heavy threshing outfits and
trucks with long strings of trailers
loaded to capacity with grain, beets
and potatoes, in continuous process
sion during the harvest season, and
all partially following the. same
track, viii be fatal to any road whose
surface is not hard and nonresistins
and the foundation Of which is NOT
of such nature as will Withstand
the weight and shock Of traffic OF
this nature. Practically all cities
whose pavements are soft in sum.
mer, prohibit tractors passing ovel
their streets. but this cannot be done
in the country where the heavy