The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1919-03-19
COMES OUT
. STRONG IN SUPPORT
OF COUNTY SYSTEM
L. C. DAVID, VETERAN SUPER
VISOR, FAVORS PROPOSED
ROAD SYSTEM.
editor Belding Banner-News:

Having been asked to state the rea-
son for my change of view IN regard
to the county road system, propo-
sition that is to be submitted TO the
voters of Ionia county at the coming
spring election, / wish to say: AT hte
time it was proposed to submit the
question the first time, it was, be-
lieve. considered by most people OF
western Michigan as an experiment,
and as was undecided as to the mer-
it cf the change L undertook to lnves-
tigate the matter, and naturally Sc
lected Kent county as a field OF IN
vestigation, as it was the nearest
county and as they had recently COM
menced to build roads under the coun-
ty system.
From what l saw and learned from
talking with people of that county 1
was convinced that their taxpayers
were not getting what they should Tor
the amount of money expended and as
/ was not familiar with its manner
of working in other counties L natur-
ally condemned the system
But Kent finally got matters
straightened out, and now has many
miles of good roads and has drawn
large amount of state reward money
which Ionia county has helped to pay.
Then too. the mistakes that they
made on the start are quite generally
recognized, and are held up to other
counties as an object lesson as the
way not to do things.
In the present reconstruction period
| am convinced that in the very near
future there will be a vast amount OF
money appropriated by both the fed.
eral government and by the state OF
Michigan, for the construction and
maintenance of good roads, and this
/ believe should be done, for with the
general use of the auto the average
person does by far the larger part OF
his travelling outside Of his own town.
ship.
This appropriation is sure to be
used in the construction OF roads IN
the counties which have the county
system. because the state highway de-
partment will control its disburse-
ments and it is next to impossible for
that department to superintend and
oversee the building and upkeep OF
roads in counties which are not oper-
ating under the county road system.
We must expect to see the money ex-
pended in counties which have the
county road system and beard of
county commissioners to supervise
the work.
The township system which under
the old order of things was fairly
satisfactory, has become obsolete, and
a township is now too small a unit
if we expect to have a system OF roads
TO compare with neighboring states.
Then, too, it seems unjust to ask
the farmer and the taxpayers of small
villages to go to the expense OF build
ing and maintaining expensive high
ways, when under the present condi-
tions they are used much more by
the city than by the country people.
But in all fairness to the people
of the cities, it should be remembered
that they do now and always have
realized the injustice of this, and are
in favor of system that will spread
the expense equally over the entire
county. The county road system will
do that but under either the town.
ship system or the Covert act, the
expense is largely saddled on to the
farmer
Then there is some new legislation
Cor at least new to mel that is intend
ed to relieve townships that have al
ready incurred an indebtedness for
building good roads, which provides
that the adoption of the county road
system in any county shall not pro
hibit any township from building
state reward roads with money raised
by tax or by bonding and in town
ships where money has been raised by
bonding for such roads, the township
clerk shall certify to the board of
supervisors at the annual meeting
thereof, the amount of such bonds re-
naming unpaid and the county road
tax paid by such township shall be re-
turned to the township until the bonds
are fully paid.
Providing, however, that no town
ship shall be entitled to the return of
its county road tax until it shall have
paid as much money in county road
taxes as may have been expended on
county roads within said township by
the county road commissioners.
The county road system will build
more roads and better roads than the
old township system; will build con-
tinuous roads instead of a stretch
here and there, with poor roads in be-
tween; will keep the roads in, repair
after they are built. The whole coun-
ty will share in the expense and the
federal government and the state gov
ernment stand ready to put their mo-
ney into Ionia county roads as soon
as we adopt the county road system.
That looks good to me as taxpayer
in Ionia county, and that's why I am
heartily in favor Of the county road
system, and that's why l urge every
voter in the county to vote eyes" on
the county road system at the coming
election.
Respectfully,