The Glenwood post., 1920-10-09

referred to last week in our account of
the good roads meeting in this city,
but which was crowded out for the
lack of space. We take it that the
letter is self-explanatory:
September II, 1920
Hon. Cass E. Harrington,
Denver, Colo.
My Dear Mr.. Herrington:
Knowing that you are an Influential
member of the Denver Civic and Com
mercial association, 1 would like to
ask. if your attention has been called
to a letter sent out under date of Sept.
IA, by the association to the various
business and commercial associations
Of the state.
L believe if you study this letter q
moment and then read House Concur
rent Resolution No. 5, Page 1854, Ses-
sion Laws of 1919 that you will con
clude that the Civic Association has
rather mis- stated the facts in connee-
tion with the proposed bond issue, and
that generally, the idea of combating
this highway bond issue is serious
mistake on the part of the business
men of this city.
In February, 1919, when the Bank
head Amendment to the Federal Aid
Act went into effect and Colorado
found that its proportion of Federal
Aid, under this act, would be, in round
figures, $5,OO0,OO0 to be expended dur
ing the years 1919, 1920 and 1921. this
Department recognizing the necessity
of building up an organization to take
care of the engineering requirements,
proceeded to that end and at this time
have an organization, in my opinion,
comparable with any other state.
AT that time the contractors of the
were few and lily equipped to under
take construction work under the rigid
specifications required by the Bureau
of Public Roads and have since invest
ed largely in equipment, and are now
60 organized so as to go ahead in this
ssatehn the mcst advantageous way in
the construction of roads of everv
character.
Machinery, supply material and
equipment firms have enlarged their
business capacity to meet the business
brought about by these large nflo.-
ments to Colorado. There is yet ap-
proximately $1,3O0,oOO due Colorado
which must be met ont of the proceeds
from the various sources to the State
Road Fund during the year 1921.
considerable amount of the feda--
al aid allotted and appropriated to
various projects will also have to be met
out of the 1921 receipts to the road
fund so that there will be no funds
remaining for ordinary maintenance,
county cooperative construction and
emergency exigencies
The proposed $4,000 900 bond issue Is
the only possible available resource,
hnd in my opinion, unless it shall be-
come law, the organization of this
Department will have to be materially
| reduced, contractors will be compelled
to go to other states for construction
work, and business generally will be
| affected, and any possible relief post
roned for at least three years by which
time all our forces will be disintegrnt-
ed and we will be left stranded 80 far
as further construction is concerned.
While the $5,OO0,O0O bond issue is
not altogether satisfactory to my mind,
vet it is the only relief and surely
should be approved by the people of
the state. If adopted it will permit us
to go ahead with contraction plans for
the next three years that will go far
toward the development of first-class
general road system in the state.
! have heard that one of the princi-
pal objections of the Road Committee
Of the Civic Association to the propos-
ed bond issue is the fact that fifty
fS' S'"e VI the pioVVeuS, "Hucr iHe Iec-
oution, is to be divided among the
counties, according to the state highway
mileage in such county-the objection
being to the continuation of the part
nership arrangement between the state
and counties. I desire to call your at
teition to this fact: s950,000 to enable
the State Highway Commission to ac-
cept the funds due Colorado for 1919
and 1920, the state funds being entire
~ inadequate to meet these allotments.
In this cnse, the partnerships with the
counties was a very desirable thing,
and believe the proportion Of the
bond issue going to the counties will