Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1920-03-17
DISCUSS HARD
SURFACE ROADS
Hearing at Court House Attract.
Much Attention. .Babcock
and Assistants Present.


the County Auditor asking the county
board to reconsider their actions of
February 20th, in rejecting the bids for
concrete paving of seven or eight more
miles Of road, special meeting of the
board was called for Thursday of last
week The matter attracted a good
deal of attention thruout the county and
counter petitions and protesting dele
sations were present from nearly every
township of the county.
Owing to the large attendance of
people the hearing was held in the
court room. The petitions asking for
reconsideration were read and counter
petitions and opposing resolutions from
the annual town meetings were pre-
sented either in written form or by in
structed delegates from Lake Lillian,
Andrew. Mamre, Roseville, Norway
Lake, Whitefeld. St. Johns, Harrison,
East Lake Lillian, Green Lake; Lake
Elizabeth. Kandiyohi, tennessee, Ed
wards, Dovre, New London, Burbank,
Colfax, and Town of Willmar.
Chas. NJ. Babcock, State Commission
er of Highways and two members of
his staff from St. Paul were present
to explain matters pertaining to the
paving project and so-called Babcock
law.
Bernt Hovey from Atwater argued
that owing to the unusual high prices
for labor and material at the present
time any further paving ought to be
deferred until more normal conditions
prevailed He spoke Of the problems
confronting the farmers as regards to
labor, and how a great road building
program at the present time would
only tend to increase the shortage of
farm help. That the time may come in
the not distant future when it would
be good thing to have a project like
this on which to give work to the un-
employed.
w. J. Devries of Holland spoke of
how the cost of the hard surfacing
across the county east and west would
be in the neighborhood of S750,O00 and
the interest on one-half this amount,
should the Babcock amendment not
carry, would be a formidable annual
outlay.
County Engineer Wadell explained
that it was not the intention to hard
surface the west miles on the road at
this time as it had been gravelled, and
this would reduce the amount mater
tally
Mr.. Babcock was called on and ex-
planned how the gravelled roads would
not stand up under heavy usage and
told what an expensive experiment
they had in Pine county, and how they
were now going ahead with hard sur
facing. He said Itasca county had
voted two millions for hard surfacing
and because of the county's great
wealth owing to her iron mines the
highway commission had not allowed
that county more than $4,000 federal
aid.
He also explained that should the
Babcock amendment fail to pass, there
is absolutely no question but that
Kandiyohi county is responsible for the
payment of her bonds.
Hon. P. H. Frye argued that the
grading on that portion of the road
now under consideration for paving
should be allowed another year to settle
and pack. He held that the paving
done last year was put on ground not
sufficiently settled.
called on. He entered into an argu-
ment against the proposed plan to
show that from an economic stand
point the proposal was not sound. That
the first need of the farmer was good
roads to the railroad and not roads par
alelling the railroad. He contended
that the proposed plan of taxation was
unjust in so far as it made a farmer
living 10 or 20 miles from the paved
road which he would seldom use, and
if he had heavy car, pay more, than
farmer, living near the paved road
and who received the full benefits.
Joe Dougherty of Kandiyohi stated
that the two miles of paving already
laid was badly cracked and had heaved.
Mr.. Babcock explained that the
cracking and heaving was to be expect
ed and that the repairing of these
cracks was not expensive, whereupon
wag from St. Johns blurted ''Why
not make it all cracks then?"
Hon. G. w. Odell argued that too
much attention should not be placed on
petitions as the large majority of peo-
pie would sign petition if asked
whether they believed in the PROPOSE
tion or not. He argued that in-as-much
as the county already had issued the
bonds the board should go ahead with
the letting of the additional contract
in order to avail themselves Of the
Federal Aid.
Chas. Eddy of Edwards argued that
if the county could get this money for
paving for nothing they certainly
ought to take it,
r. G. Sletten appeared for Dovre and
stated that it was the concensus OF
opinion at the town meeting that nc
contract be let at this time or unit
the so-called Babcock amendment >hal
been voted upon in the fall election.
Others who spoke against reconsid
GRAFTON were Ingebrigt johnson of Eas
Lake Al1llan' y. .. ANDERSON OF zen
| nessee; c. H. Masterson of St. John
John Iceberg of E. Lake Lillian; A. o
Nelson of Svea; H. S. Nelson of LAX,
| Lillian; Ole Stene Of Arctander ant
James TAFT of Harrison.
| H. S. Nelson pointed out that in tn
Babcock law provision that the meth
| Cd Of raising money for paying tn
state bonds could be by direct taxa
tion as well as by the tax an automo
biles.
To this Mr. Babcock replied that tn
clause authorizing the legislature t
levy bond taxes in the regular wa
aside from the automobile tax, was pu
into the law to enable the sale Of tn
bonds, the same reason why such
clause is always put> in county ditc
bonds making the whole county respor
sible, tho only that land which is az
sessed benefits are taxed for the pay
merlt of those bonds.
He held that the county should be
favor of the proposed plan because til
counties of Ramsey, Hennepin, and
Louis would be made to pay rs pc
cent of the automobile tax and recei1
very little as their share in return.
j. r. Carlson, chairman of tow
board of New London, was the lo'
speaker; he stated that he wanted
understood that the reason for the Ne
London town meeting being opposed
the road was not because the prese1
paving project was on the east al
west road and being. of little value,
people in his part of the county, b,
that it was the general belief there tn
the county board should mot proce,
lany further until it was found that Il
Road Amendment had passed at ii
lgeneral election. -
Among other representatives fro
tEvarious parts of the county were r..
ESommerville,sSt st. Johns; e. u Johns,
a 8.