Arizona republican., 1920-06-14
Where the People
 May Have a Hearing
The Roaa Bond Question

He EO@A ootess 4Aestt4tt Editor Republican.
 Cut the garment according to your cloth IS an ancient adage that has lost none of it's force or relevancy by reason Of It's age. In the present agl~ tatiou for road improvement let HIS not lose sight Of the fact that our supply of cloth Is limited and that we have already used and are using 8 conside arable portion Of the amount available That we are g young and not over wealthy community is q premise not open to argument That we are al~ ready heavily in debt is 2 fact Ghat anyone can prove for himself bg casual examination of the records.
 There are few of lis who would not like betterments in our homes our ranches, our offices and iu our com 1g1unity institutions, but as indivi duafs we are at once confronted with the question of cost. with the result that in the majority Of cases, we postpone said betterments Or adopt temporary eNpedients until such time as we feel that we can assume the burden of cost without distress Tn such matters communities are not greatly different from individuals
 The present bonded indebtedness Of Iaricops county is s42S1. 500. Of this the state will pay s20e, ,550 from the proceeds of land grant by congress for that purpose. leaving a net Eudeb6@
 
 The various school districts of the county have bonded indebtedness az gregating 2.060 500 The special road districts have outstanding bonds tc the amount of s100.00o. The bonded debt Of the city of Phoenix is s2.593 .000, making a total of sS.S35.SSS This amount bears interest at an approx innate average of per cent, creating an annual interest charge Of about s440,00o
 In addition to the foregoing is the charge of the government on the lands of the valley for the reclamation prof ect of about $12,000,000. making grand total of nearly s21, ,000.0 .0o0. Isn't this a good sized undertaking for new and not overwealthy community. Hadn't we better cast about for some expedient to avoid the increase of an already enormous liability? The inter ested one now asks what shall we doy
 The taxpayers of this county by their votes, have provided Q fund Of s4.00o, 900 to improve certain roads az gregating about 275 miles. Some Of these roads are of first importances many of them are secondary in char. scter. being merely neighborhood roads tributary to the main highways. The important roads connecting cen ters of population should be paved. For instance. Central avenue north ana south of Phoenix. Grand avenue to 11eOFias He luIffd FUdu VIA 1OiiCSOft and Cashion to Buckeye or beyond. The unpaved portions Of the Tempe road to Mesa or farther The Scottg- dale road. The road from Mesa 10 Chandler. and perhaps 40 or 90 miles of other roads strictly Tn the order of their importance and proximity ec communities not otherwise hear paved roads.
 Now. as to other roads In the pro- posed improvement scheme. It has long been a matter of connaon en gineering Knowledge that. next to solid and clay makes the most admira bie roadway.
 4 sample Of this may be found in the Buckeye road southwest Of Phoe- nix. which has received the sand treat ment within the last Is months and has thereby been transformed from one of the slickest. greasieSt. most abominabie bog holes in the county to a veritabIe boulevard. This treatment cost about s100e per mile and is avail able for practically every mile of road within the paving scheme.
 If, out of the $4.00o.0 $i50,Oe0 is set aside for the sand treatment, the remainder will pave every mile where pavement is essential without impos ing any additional burden upon the taxpayers.
 am informed that the present plans of the commission contemplate the use of a 16-foot roadway on all pavement except that portion from Mesa 10 Chandler where IS feet is prescribed.
 The concrete road now between Phoenix and Tempe is IS feet. wide and I think no one passing over it has eyer considered 1t too wide. This width in the interest of speed and safety. should be made tho standard
 Q. A THOMPSON.