Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1920-10-19

THE WASHINGTON STANDARD
ticipated by Referendum No. l. How
ever there are millions of dollars now
in State permanent funds on which
the State is now receiving only Pc.
1t is for this reason that the State
guaranty is placed on the bonds-in
order that the State may legally in
vest the money now in these perma
nent funds in Referendum No.
bonds. This is not new plan. 1t has
been done many times. as in the case
of the $94, 900 bond issue for the pave
ment Of 8 " miles of the North Bank
Highway east of White Salmon. The
State should and would so invest its
funds. In so doing it not only lowers
the cost Of road construction by financ-
ing the work at rates which private
interests will not at present consider
but further provides returns Of 5T
on the State money invested which
is now earning only 2Gs. The State
funds available for investment in road
bonds are the permanent school fund,
university, normal, scientific. agricul-
tural, charitable, educational, penal
andrefOrmatory funds. and the reserve
accident fund Of the State Industrial
Insurance Department.
An idea has been current among a
few. that State taxes are already too
high and that the passage Of Refer
endum No. will still further in
crease them. This impression is en-
tirely incorrect as the bill provides
for the entire retirement of the bonds
from the motor vehicle license fees.
The Referendum No. ! plan in fact
will operate to reduce taxes as it will
not only materially increase the prop
erty values along the primary high
ways paved but will relieve the coun-
ties from the heavy expense to which
they are now put for the maintenance
Of gravel roads In addition to the
foregoing under the provisions of the
bill authorizing that counties be re-
funded the construction cost of paving
lad on primary highways included in
the bill when such paving has been
laid in accord with specifications OF
the State Highway Commission, var
ious counties in the State will be re-
funded the construction cost of slight
" over III miles of nard surface
paving. This refund will be avail
able for the paving of additional coun-
ty laterals thereby reducing the main
tenance cost of these laterals from
approximately $500 per mile per year
to about $125.
Many papers have asked through
their editorial columns. why we should
pay $12,OOO.0OO interest on these
bonds in order to complete the road
work in six years instead of ten years.
In substantiation of this, they figure
that at 100000 per year revenue
there would be sufficient money avail
able in ten years to accomplish the
same results. There Is an error in
these conclusions as only 23% of the
revenue from the motor vehicle license
fees is available under the pay-as-yOu-
go plan. In other words under this
plan 50 100000 per year is being
thrown away in the maintenance OF
gravel surfaced highways. Also, the
saving in gasoline consumption Eff
fected by hard surfaced highways is
taken into consideration. Further
savings Of still greater proportions
are those effected in tire operating
costs and depreciation on cars.
Directors have stated that the
present is not an suspicious time, Tor
the state to incur further indebted.
ness owing to the present unsettled
business conditions. There is no
foundation for this statement, as all
the money for road construction is
spent within the state. A road
building program, as called for by
this plan would further react to
stabilize the labor market. 1t would
require the employment of hundreds
Of men and the construction WORK
might very well be made to care for
the surplus Of labor which occurs at
certain periods of the year. The
money paid these men would in turn
be spent within the state.
To the citizens of the southern
part Of the state who have objected
to the plan because the North Bank
highway was not specifically men
toned as one of the primary high
ways to be paved we say that the
state of Washington is not going to
negletc any section as rich in scenic
assets as that through which the
North Bank highway runs. 1t is un-
fortunate that at the time this bill
was drawn, the North Bank high
wav was not classified as a primary
highway. Since that time. however.
the state legislature has so classified
it and this state cannot afford to
neglect any section as rich in scenic
scenic highway along the banks OF
the Columbia river. 1t is certain
that with the highways of the rest
of the state being improved some
way will be found to care for the
needs of the North Bank highway
Western Washington Motorist.
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