East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1919-01-25

highway system with a state and nat
tional system which is destined to
link us with the entire United States.
Canada and Mexico.
Number four above ought to appeal
to the people of this county with much
force. As a rule. each section of it is
one crop district. These roads will
place Pendleton within eighty minutes
Adams within fifty minutes, Athena
and weston within thirty minutes of
the Milton -Freewater district. The
people on the dry land farms and thoss
in the towns of the dry land districts
will find pleasure for the whole family
and profit besides in motoring over
there for supplies of fruit, fresh from
tree and vine. Thus exchanges nut
ually advantageous will be facilitated
throughout the country.
Market Roads Provided
Yet this program. broad and COM
prehensive as it is, does not immediat-
ely meet the full needs of the farmers
who conduct the basic Industry of our
section. Its failure to do so can not
fairly be changed against the local
citizens who proposed it. On the con-
trary it was felt that the S576,O00 of
state money and the $50, 900 of Feder-
al money should not be matched by a
bond upon the whole county without
at the same time providing for market
roads to the north and south which
the state offers us no inducement to
build. The term market road is
broaded in it's meaning than some con-
cede. The hauling of produce to mar
ket is only the first of two important
important functions of a market road.
After a farmers produce is sold his
wife is deeply cOncerend about finding
a satisfactory market as a buyer to
supply the many needs of her house /
hold. She appreciates a road which
lifts her out of the dust and mud even
for a part of the way. and brings the
larger city in the distance near where |
she has a wider range of choice |
through larger stocks of goods to sell |
ect from.
Having viewed this road program
from all these angles the only question
which can arise in reasonable minds
will be can we afford the roads. and
does the labor market, and general
business conditions warrent the under
aking now.
The cost to the county in money ,
-aised by ten year bonds will be.
s1.O5O,OOO and the interest
lbout S267.750. making s1,317,75O IN
Ill, which If paid in ten years. will /
Lverage $131,775 each year. This
would require an average tax on the /
resent assessed value of the county I
ach year for ten years of about 1-2 [
Mills. At this rate the tax would be r
) cents on each 800 assessed value /
or each year and $3.50 in all. on q
ach $1,000 the tax would be
ESQ each year and s25 in all on
ach $4,000 the tax would be s25
ach year and $3.50 in all. On $780, d
90 the tax would be $3.50 each year II
nd S2500 in all. The ordinary home n
Pendleton Is assessed at around b
1000 and IN the small towns where e
,ts are cheaper at $500 and less. Il
ach taxpayer can readily determine d
Is share of the tax by noting the value t,
4 his last tax receipt, and then r,
aking the computation as aforesaid. Ia
hree or four million American boys al
e being released from the army and pi
IVY now. Industry is changing from b,
war basis to one Of peace. one or .,
20 million women took the places
ade vacant by the departing soldier W
,ys. with the prospect of falling st
ices, manufacturers will probably sh
Il risk production of surplus stocks. II,
le federal administration urges pub of
works to sustain wages while liv- la
z cost is high and to supply en- We
1yment during the period Of transit 81
m. This road program would be
obably require three years for COM st,
stion, which ought to carry us into ca
period Of normal conditions. ia,
Not like Former Move. tn
Those who opposed the county pr
nding scheme Of four years ago may
lsistently support this one. This Is tn,