The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1922-01-26

ten miles Of good roads from the
Bonneville county road southwark it
would help to keep the travel and
traffic in Shelley and Blackfoot.
No Vote Taken
| 1t was agreed in the beginning
that no vote should be taken on the
question, but that each community
set forth its claim and the commits
sioners should listen and when
everybody has spoken the meeting
should close. The argument became
somewhat spirited at times; all Of
the speakers did the best they could
for their communities and at the
close of the session there was a gen.
eral handshaking and rush for the
| train.
Some Side Lights
| When reference was made to the
roads made radiating from Shelley
and Firth, Mr.. Slayton stated that
when the new road was laid out from
| Firth to Snake river bridge north of
the town, the land or part of it was
bought by the business men and pre-
sented to the county as an induce
ment to get the road Strengthened.
Road superintendent Mistake
Mr.. Slayton also stated that with
all the fine road built between
Goshen and Firth, man cannot haul
full load down that line and get
to town with it, because of the mis-
take made by the superintendent Of
road construction, w. c. Stone, in
building from the extremity in,
rather than building from the center
out. The funds gave out before he
got it connected and the men had
| to unlock and leave the road I'M
| finished.
Kidding the Blackfooters
One of the speakers twited the
Blackfoot men by saying that if their
commissioner had loaned $4,000 of
| their money to the state or spent it
out on the reservation, which was
the same thing, we should not COM
plain after our money is gone, or If
they loaned only $4,000 to the state
and got back or can get back $4,000
should they want to hog it all?
Mr.. Bennett in speaking for Shell
ley, said it had been thrown up to
him that after Bingham county
builds fine road down thru Shelley
they will apply for admission into
Bonneville county and then Bing-
ham will have the pleasant refec-
ton of having built roads for Bonnie
Vile county to inherit, and the trade
channels also will have been estab-
lished to suit them.
Mr.. Bennett disclaimed that Shell
ley has any idea of seeding, and
said they are proud of their position
in Bingham county and do not want
to be cut into Bonneville.
Some Men Question 1t
In support of that theory it was
stated outside of the meeting that
Bonneville county had received a
generous amount of state and fed
eral money when Bingham county
had an application pending and
ahead Of theirs, and that since the
same powers had the approval or
disapproval of our present road plans
Bingham county will have a good
chance to have it's road construction
planned by others than its own ,peo-
pie and its own officers !
Whacking County Engineer /
1t was stated that the county en- !
gineer has been working long time !.
on plans for this road and that he
receives SO a day and travelling ex-
penses for gathering data and laying
plans before the board for draining
business away from the county seat
or out Of the county. We investi-
gated this matter and found that the
county engineer has spent consid- |
cradle time surveying roads and
mapping them, and that he receives
$40 day and expenses for surveying
and So day and expenses while en-
gagged in mapping or when sitting
with the commissioners to advise s
them and to answer questions that ,
arise, and for the time spent on the {
trip to Boise to confer with the state ,
highway commissioner and highway G
director We learn that this is in G
accordance with arrangements made G
with the board of commissioners last a
spring before they knew that times +
would get so hard and probably be-
'ore they realized that they would
lave the engineer on the job :
steadily.
The mere fact of his doing the
work that is assigned to him is no :.
'eflection upon him so long as it is |
lone equally in the interest Of the Y
Whole county. We make no charges
# Partially on his part in the in J..
crest of Bonneville county and it's e
county seat II others have informa- =
ion on that score it is up to them =
o set forth the facts.
One of the speakers in the meet
ng said 1t was violation of the y
'ond election agreements that any u
+ the bond money was expended on I,
he Yellowstone highway, and an q
ther speaker said that was true, but q
hat 1t was an emergency that could u
ot have been foreseen. He said o
hat the maccadam road had been II !,
AIKEN over by the state and when u
went to pieces so it was almost :
the state did not and II
ould not do the maintenance to keep
open for travel. We had to take lc
he blame of it all, and it was having CT
he effect of turning the tourist b.
rade to the southern entrance and $
eeping it entirely out Of the Snake 1t