The copper era and Morenci leader., 1921-08-19
REPUBLICAN POWERS -THA1-BE TELL WHY SPECIAL SESSION WAS NOT CALLED.

The $100,000 PhoeniX-Yuma fund | has been contracted on the Phoenix i Glendale road with Federal Aid and when this road is completed, this 1 S100,000 fund will be reused on the PhoeniX-Yuma highway by means of i an arrangement made with the Marl- copa County Highway Commission. ! The S75,000 expenditure on the Tue : son-Nogales bridges has already re- 1 suited in the completion of four bridges, contractors are working on | fifth and plans are being prepared for additional structures.
 | The $50,O0O Ashfork to Mohave | County Line road is under construc- ] tion.
 The S25,O0O is being expended on tor and one State camp,
 The S1O0 900 Yuma to Phoenix ex- 1 penditure is being expended by one State camp, the 900 foot extension of ! the bridge across the Gila being al ready completed.
 The $40,000 Douglas -Rodeo fund has been expended.
 Federal Aid has been applied for on the $40,000 for the construction of the road from Fairbanks to the Santa Cruz County Line.
 Sefentyfive Per Cent Funds
 The 75% funds of the counties stand as follows:
 The 75%o fund of Cochise county will be necessary in the completion of the Douglas-Rodeo and Benson-Vail highways.
 The Gila county 759o fund is pled- ged on the Superior-Miami highway.
 The Maricopa county 75Go fund is n1rtIU tra ot ad nI,,r bridge and bids have been requested on the PhoeniX-Tempe highways.
 The Yavapai 75% fund will be needed to complete the grading and surface the Prescott-Jerome Road
 Bids were recently opened in Apa che county which will necessitate the expenditure of their 75% fund.
 Maintenance costs will absorb the 75Go funds of the other counties Of the State, together with the gasoline and automobile license revenues.
 Tied up With Federal Aid
 It is especially essential that these state funds be not decreased at this time when we are securing Federal funds on construction work. Next year, if no additional Federal funds are secured the work of this depart ment will be practically reduced to maintenance.
 It is possible to disband our state outfits and also may be possible to make some adjustment with the con- tractors cancelling their contracts and to secure the cancellation of all Federal Aid agreement but these mat ters would be very difficult. The elimination of all state road work would be more equitable than | the stoppage of work in one parti- | cular county while another's appro- priation was expended.
 I believe that there is not a road 1 in the State Highway System now under construction which is not ol more benefit to the people of this state than the portions of the county high ways which are not a part of the thru state system, that are being constructed by funds >secured from bonds voted by the people of this state. I have heard of no request for the stoppage of this construction work While state work is being carried on by direct taxation instead of bond issues, it is obvious that where taxpayers are unable at present to pay road taxes that the unpaid | taxes which are lien against theit property are quite similar to bond is- sues. A reduction in the penalties for non-payment of taxes would make them identical.
 Would Throw 5000 Out of Work
 I believe that road appropriations should not be cancelled first, because if will throw approximately three thousand men out of work at time when there is no other employment | available.
 Seemed, because it is better to pro- vide work for our fellow men in pay ment to the tax collector at the front 1 door, than to feed them hand-out at the back door.
 Third, because the state should not set an example of cowardice during tmeporary depressions-
 Fourth, because road expenditures have alerady been greatly reduced
 State Profits by Big Labor Supply
 Fifth, because the state will never secure work at better prices than now when private and corporate business I are not in the market for labor.
 Sixth. because the dollar of the tax payers money is supplemented by | additional Federal funds and these funds largely remain in the state, and in addition the construction of roads 1 reduces the number of other dollars which the taxpayers must pay out be cause of poor roads.
 Seventh, because the advertising oi this action would result in greatly de creased property values. in new , state with undeveloped resources desiring additional people and capital The United States Good Road As
 sociation is to hold a convention her' in Phoenix in 1922. The adverse publicity which this convention woul' I give to this reduction would be tre menduous.
 Eighth, because the doctrine of re
 strictiue, ourselves to bare necess > ties. if carried out to the limit I
 every community in our nation Woul r throw out of work over half of ou Il people, resulting not only in thel
 individual loss of wages but Ill tn d loss of their production to the nat1ol g Providing for Ex-serviee Man
 Ninth. other cities. counties an is states are taking extraordinary me