The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1924-01-24
SOME LESSONS IN
ROAD BUILDING

An UNUSUAL example OF tn
penalty of not doing a thing at tn
logical time, Is reported from Bon
neville county in their road construc
ton of recent years.
When the bitulithic paving wa
laid from the south line of Bonnie
vile county to the city limits o
Idaho Falls, there was a stretch o
about half q mile In the edge O.
town that was not laid, for the rea
son that there was some contention
as to which of the three routes Il
ought to be laid on. The state, fed
eral and county funds we're joined In
laying the six miles that was con
structed, and they were available fol
the rest of 1t IL parties could agree
as to location. The lack of agree
ment prevented it being done at all
and now the opportunity to have II
has passed. The prospect is that II
1t were done, 1t would have to be as
sessed against the abutting property
and this would amount to confisca-
ton, so instead of all the property
owners along the three routes being
in a contest to get it, as they were
before, they are on the reverse gear
and all trying not to have it. 1t
would also cost more per yard to
have this short section done now
than it would have before, because
of the extra expense of assembling
the machinery, materials and crews
for it. The prospect is that for years
to come there will be the same
crooked, dirt road at the southern
entrance to the city.
Another example is reported in
three-mile stretch between Idaho
halls and Lincoln, where construc-
ton was arranged for with joint
state, federal and county moneys and
a new board of commissioners de-
clined to go ahead with the project,
on the ground that they could not
spare the money. The state and
federal appropriations were cancelled
and there was so much demand for
something to be done with the road,
the commissioners reconsidered and
decided to gravel it. This cost them
nearly as much as their share of the
joint construction of the bitulithic
pavement would have cost in the
joint project, and after about a year
it needed repairs and they went to
the expense of coating it with
cinders from the Lincoln sugar
factory. The cinder was soft for
while and there was complaint about |
the heavy traction like travelling a |
sand road, but it packed and should
be a very. good road for a while.
Watching the history of it will be in
teresting, if not satisfying.
The people of Bingham county
have had some disagreeable exper-
fences in road building and travelling
detours, and they have broadcasted
their wrath at county officials, but
the officers organized state and fed
eral projects to join with the county
in road building during the hard
times, and they scarped up moneys
to do all the odds and ends to con-
meet up the main sections at the en-
trance of the county seat while the
getting was good in state and fed
sral circles. Another cheerful out
ook about it is that they have not
yet quit that kind of organizing for
oint projects.
The moral of this situation is that
people pay dearly for selfishness and
ack of unity; they gain by unself1sh-
less and a charitable attitude when
| good thing is in sight. 1t is the
I'D lesson of the two cats and the
monkey dividing the cheese. So
ong as the two cats could not agree
IS to which was to have the larger l
'iece the money was ever ready to
lite off enough from the large piece
o place 1t on a par with the other.
lie, of course, would bite of too
much and again the cats would dis Q
gree, each one wanting what was Q
t that moment the larger piece of d
he constantly shrinking stock of ?
heese. In the end the monkey had +
all and the cats had none.
There was time when Blackfoot q
ras divided by self1shness, but it has /,
uried such differences SO that they
eldom crop out, and then only O.
eebly. There were times when h
bingham county was arrayed against Il
self in factions, and only rather re- II
emily some communities showed
)me bitterness over matters that h.
roved to be only borrowed trouble. b.
That a fine thing it would be II we M
ould learn to hold our horses in h,
mes of agitation and political or M
Ihar RI hovo