The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1920-10-07
Morrow County Road Dis
trict Situation Discussed
By W. l. McCALER. Roadnaster.


For many years the road situation
in Morrow county has been a source Of
much concern to the County Court
While it naturally occurred that In
the course Of the county's development
the call was for more roads, the road
money was insufficient to build and
maintain them. The result was that
roads had to be built in order that the
ranchers could get to market, and not
having the money to build properly
many roads had to be built in the cheap
places rather than in the places they
really belonged.
For the same reason much of the road
maintenance had to be neglected until
the entire system became in a run
down condition.
At the present time the tax valuation
and regular road levy (which is 2h
mills) is about the same as in years
gone by thus the regular road fund is
about the same while the purchasing
power Of the dollar has fallen off more
than one-half of what 1t was before the
war. This Is especially true in road
matters since the demand for road ma
chinery and labor is far in excess Of the
supply, while the call for more roads
and better roads is much greater than
ever before.
With the increase of demand on the
one hand and the decrease Of the pur-
chasing power of the dollar on the 9TH
q fo 10 4
money, when spread out over the
county Is far too thin to do much good.
In fact at the present valuation tho
State Highway Commission estimates
an annual maintainence of 5000 per
mile on their roads after they have cut
them to grade and rocked them and
call them permanent roads.
The regular road tax levy furnishes
the county with $40 and fraction per
mile for both maintenance and con-
! struction on its roads that are of COM
mon dirt and rock and sand and mud,
just at the soil happened to be where
the road was made.
This, together with many other facts
which the county road officials have de-
veloped and observed leads them to the
conclusion that they will not be able to
maintain the roads as roads should be
road levy.
The Court at its September meeting
redistricted the county making most OF
the districts smaller. They think by so
doing the results will be better and
and more satisfactory both for the
ious districts.
Many of the districts have already
shown much interest in the move and
| have asked The Roadmaster to supply
them with blank forms that they may
| petition the Court at its meeting on No
vember the third to call a meeting in
their respective districts that the peo-
pie of the district may get together and
talk over the road situation of their To-
cality and to vote on the matter of a
special road tax that will be levied on
all the taxable property Of the district
and expended entirely in the district
and on the exact road or roads or parts
OF roads designated IN their petition.
1t appears that this special tax plan is
an excellent one as every cent of the
tax money must go onto the exact spot
that is designated by the voters. 1t
appears to be the best solution of the
district problem for the coming year.
The law so provides that in order to
call such meeting the court must be
so petitioned not later than their reg
ular meeting in November. And petit
tion blanks for this purpose may be had
by applying to the county clerk or road
master.
Each road user of each district should
be interested in this matter for money
spent for road improvement is like
money spent for seed as it will produce
and return many fold if properly ap-
piled.