, 1923-09-13
The Public Wants to Know

The Salt Creek highway improvement is With
ont question a magnificent one when 1t is COM
Melted, but the question is, when Will 1t be COM
pleted, and how much longer will 1t be necessary
to make the miles and miles of detour over the
sagebrrsh and through the six to eight lnches
of dust. The work was begun In early spring
The state was perfectly aware of the magnitude
of the Job, Of the material required and the
source of supply, the water problem to be faced
and the tremendous traffic to be contended Win
that daily uses this highway.
That the contractors fell down on any of these
important points in road building has nothing
to do with the state of mind of the public over
the long delay in opening the road or most of
il to public travel. 1t is the lookout of the state
and of their contractors, the superintendent in
charge of the work, and all others in authority,
that the public is not put to such long continued
discomfort.
Those in charge cannot stand up and tell the
public truthfully, that they have not taken an
unreasonably long time to build the five miles
of new concrete road, they can not insult the
public intelligence with any claim to perfect Or
ganization, and execution of their contract. They
will never be able to make the travelling public
believe that in the slightest instance have they
consulted the public interest or the public com
fort in the performance of their work or in ar
ranging II uGIOuTb w tAC az dhg pOAhb
along the way.
Excuses and alibis do not go with the seven
to eight hundred trucks and motor cars conf
PEELED to pass over this road every day.
The state and the contractors knew perfectly
what difficulties were to be encountered in the
building of this road. 1t was their duty to pro-
vide against these things and cause as little an
noyance and inconvenience to the public as pos
sible. Instead the use of this important artery
of business has for the most part been closed to
public use for about five months of the busiest
season of the year.
The public has a just complaint. The public
has suffered not alone by inconvenience in travel
but monetary loss in ~breakage of cars and
trucks. The attitude from the very first, on the
part of those performing this road work, has
been one of arbitrariness. The road was closed
and the public told, not in so many words, but
by Implication, "to get to hell out, and find the
best road you can" Whereas it would have cost
but few dollars to have smoothed up a temporary
way for travel with a team and scraper, and
kept 1t smooth and travelable while the perma
nent road was under construction.
There is promise that the repairs Oh the old
section, and the work on the five miles of new
road will be completed and open for traffic by
October first. 1t is high time, that punishment
of the travelling public and the wreckage of
transportation facilities cease because of the
eaptiousness of contractors or others in charge
of road work.
And another thing, in the prosecution of the
four miles of additional new work to be com.
pleted this fall, it is pertinent to ask those in au.
thority whether or not the same conditions will
obtain with reference to the travelling public as
have obtained all summer long during the build,
ing of the present work. Whether or not a pas,
sable temporary road will be built to accommo-
date travel, or whether cars and trucks. will be
compelled TO break their own trail through gul.
lies and over the sage brush? The public desires
to know and the public has a right to know.