The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-12-31
BRIGHT ROAD
OUTLOOK HELD
BY BOOSTERS
Completion of East End Sectiog
and Determinaiiea Of West Road
Start Work.

N
land county last spring rejected
proposition to levy a special Ia
for the construction of paved roads
friends OF the good roads move
fnent Induced the board OF super
visors at the December session. Z
submit 70 the people at an earl.
date, a proposal TO issue road con
struction bonds In the sum of 81,
900 900.
This action was taken at the re
quest OF the Rock Island Count,
Good Roads association. which wa
organized as the result of a county
wide movement promoted by com
mittees representing the Chamber
of Commerce of Rock Island, Mo
line and East Moline. the super
yisors themselves, and people oil
every township
A delegation authorized by these
Organizations will confer with the
members of the state highway com
mission in Springfield. regarding
the 81 ,000. 900 bond issue and ask
the commission to designate 16S
miles of highway in Rock Island
county as state aid roads
At the same time it will ask rec
ommendation of federal aid in the
construction Of a paved road from
the Rock Island arsenal to the gov
eminent proving grounds at Savan-
ma, and will be assisted in this en-
terprise by Congressman W. j.
Graham and John c. Mckenzie.
William f. Whiteside of Moline,
president OF the association, says:
Rock Island county has SO far ben
Gifted very slightly from the $780,
900 900 bond issue system. There
is a very short piece OF pavement
laid from the village of Carbon
Cliff to Colona bridge and pave
mcnt operations were. commenced
at the east edge of the village OF
Silvis but this work was conf
menced SO late in the fall that it
was terminated by cold weather
and must await COMPLETING until
spring
Grand Total Three Miles.
when that has been done Rock
Island county will then have about
three miles of state bond issue
roads, being portion of the route
from Rock Island through Geneseo
TO Princeton on TO Chicago. The
northern end of route No. 3, from
Moline to Morrison, there touching
the Lincoln highway on to Chicago,
has been the subject OF several sur
veys in the Rock Island county por-
ton OF the roadway and the state
highway commission has not as
yet indicated the definite route it
has selected for this highway"
The lower end OF route 3 from
Rock Island to Aledo, and on to
Rushville and Beardstown has also
been surveyed as to general routes,
but the route to be paved has been
the subject OF a great deal of con-
troversy in the lower end of the
county.
1t is affirmed that a definite
route was adopted by the board of
supervisors and by the state high
way commission, but because of
this controversy the highway de-
paTtment will. in the near future
hold another hearing to determine
the route TO be adopted and paved.
This lack of decision" says Mr..
Whiteside, ''aS to routes has re-
suited in the failure of Rock Island
county TO procure any paving on
these routes SO far, but the state
administration has given assur-
ances that contracts for both the
route from Moline TO Morrison and
Rock Island TO Aledo will be let,
and work commenced in 1922"
Mr.. Whiteside, referring to the
action of the board of supervisors
In spreading q tax of % cents on
each 800 Of assessed valuation of
property for the improvement and
maintenance of highways, says that
the county will be unable with the
fruits or that tax to approximate
the development of highway con-
struction in other counties.
The association, Mr. Whiteside
points out. adopted definite plan
OF highway improvement, and
mapped out highways to be i'm :
proved. 1t was decided by the or
ganizauon, he says, that the i'm !
proVement should be by grading
and drainage of earth roads, fol-
lowed by dressing of gravel or oil
treat ment. |
AS plan for financing the move {
ment the association decided to rec
ommend to the supervisors a bond
issue OF $l,OGO,000 to he subjected I
Tor approval at an early election. |
TwO-fOld Benefit.
The purpose of placing the work '
under state supervision was two l
Told, Mr.. Whiteside explained.
First, that the county might re- +
celve the benefit of state highway '
experts, and secondly that the I
county might receive from the state c
a certain allotment of state aid
fund money which can be used IN
the retirement of the bonds. /
He says in addition that the !
county will also receive from the 8
state aid fund half of the cost O: I
of the improved high {
way, and that this money, with the
sum realized from the 25 cent tax a
will create a fund to provide prope- Il
machinery and to employ a suf O
1cient number of men 10 patrol the b
loads and keep them in good con-
iition. c
Under the law providing for the '
ISSUANCE of the bonds, provision is IL
made for their payment and retire. a
nent after a period of 20 years re- d
Iuir1ng payment on the PRINCIPAL
L 100000 year and an average o.
interest payment of $4,000. cl
he emphasizes the fact thar this cl
mount would be raised by a tax of 81
5 cents on every 500 of assessed al
on property and would be C,
lesser tax than was provided for A
the SO Is cent special tax de- tr
lated al the polls earlier in the
ear. o,
II is the earnest hope" con- m