Arizona republican., 1921-06-27

To the Editor:
 In an editorial criticizing the Yav- apai county highway commission for entering into a contract for the em- pioyment Of consulting engineers. you refer to those who '-blindly" criticize our own highway commission. Then. when Mir. Girard in a letter to you. speaks disparagfngly of the wisdom of our commission in laying three parallel concrete roads within two miles costing the sum these roads cost" you excuse the commission by saying .'that was not a question for engineers to decide. but for the whole people" etc l do not believe Mir. Girard meant to object to the inn provement of three parallel roads as such. He knew. of course. that these roads were on the paving program as submitted at the county bond cleo tlons and approved by a majority of | the voters. What he did find fault with was the laying of the heaviest type of paving on three parallel roads within two piles. evidently believing that a less expensive type on one or more of them would have met the traffic requirements The type of | the roads designated for improve ment Is left wholly to the discretion of the highway commission and has never been submitted to vote of the people.
 Since you seem to have missed the point of Mir. Girsrd's objection. per- haps there is some merit in some of the other criticism. which you have overlooked
 For instance. what about the policy Of the commission of spending prac- tically all the money which the north side win get from the first bond is- sue on the roads of one neighborhood around the Fowler "set-up2" True these roads were designated for inn provement at the elections. but on the supposition that all the roads on the program could be paved. No one believe. can give any assurance as to whom the second issue of paving bonds can be sold. The commission has at no time since it opened the bids for paving last summer and found that the amount of the first bond issue would not complete the paving program. had any assurance that it would be able to find funds to complete it. IL would. therefore appear to have been the duty of the commission to expend the funds oi which they were assured to the best advantage of the county at large. re- gardiess of any minor econom, which might be effected by construc- tion of roads by 'set ups"
 Suppose. as many we'll informed people believe. that 1t will be years before any more money will be avail able for paving. would not the whol' | county be better served by system of trunk lines connecting up the trad ing centers than by having lever, home" in the Fowler and Cartwright districts brought within a mile of ; paved road: am aware that [ prolongation of this controversy par |, takes a good deal of the futility O the proverbial crying over skinned milk. as most of the money has al II ready been spent. but I am inclinc' to agree with Mir. Girard that vi would gladly give { per centum O s the amount expended 10 undo som of the work of our highway commis sion. in the event 1t is impossible C {; complete without interruption. ou !. paving program in its entirety.
 For instance. instead of the al ternative routes from Phoenix C
 Cashion, which have been paved
 would not a pavement from Scotts
 dale to Center street or along North
 ern avenue from Grand avenue |
 Center street or from Cashion oi
 toward Buckeye. or from Peoria | [. Glendale. or from Jacks Corner O Glendale north to the Arizona cana
 to connect with the Black Canyo
 road. put just as many people with
 tn a mile of a paved road" and serV .. the county at large a good deal bet
 tere
 As to the wisdom of the Yavaps
 county highway commission in agree - ing to pay per centum of their con - struction charges for the services Of | consulting engineer. l am not com