The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1924-08-21

{ refund and tho paving of tho Blacl
foot-Shelley section of the highwa.
He said he had just been over 1t an
observed that 1t was very dangerou
: and that 1t was now q better bas
, for paving than 1t would ever be
future years. He not only espresso
the wish to do all he could for II
: but expressed his desire to have tn
aid and support of the commission
ers of Bingham county in their YER,
able advocacy of the whole under
taking. w. ]. Hall, the commits
sioner of public works was equal!
interested, and expressed his pleas
ure in having the aid of the govern
or and the Bingham county board IL
getting the matter properly brought
to the attention of the various Of
fices in Idaho and Utah and In Wash
ington. He has been very gener.
GUS in his praise of the achievements
of Bingham county in the past three
years and says that while Idaho Is
| forging ahead In obtaining appro-
priations for reclamation, in the ma
ton, Bingham county is forging
ahead In getting appropriations for
its roads. The very fact that the
beginning was made at the peak of
the boom and seemed for a while to
have been mistake, has turned out
to be good fortune in making it
possible to go on with road construc-
ton all through the hard times when
other counties that did not move
soon enough find themselves I'M
able to start.
Bingham county Is fortunate in
having made friends of many road
engineers and officials who have to
do with, road projects, both in the
state and federal offices, and these
friendships have made 1t possible to
get men to come out and go over
roads and listen to proposals on the
ground and once a deserving project
is investigated personally on the
ground, the commissioners have
been able to secure favorable rec
concentrations.
AS we look back over the situation
it seems to us that/the critical point
was two years ago when people were
considering whether to stand by the
board for another term or turn them
out and put in others new to the
job. In the face of conditions as
they existed at that time it was diff
ficult question to decide. If new
board had been elected at that time
and they had taken a year to study
road matters, the big opportunities
would have passed.
Officers Would Have Retired
2 In the primaries of 1924 the COM
missioners said they thought they
had done their share, and wished to
be relieved. But thoughtful men,
after hunting around to see who
could be found to take up the work
and carry it on, returned and asked
them to stand for reelection so this
county might have its best trained
and best informed road men at the
bat to continue the work already
commenced and in prospect. A very
gratifying feature of the campaign |
was that the people nominated them |
without knowing of the flattering |
already in progress at that
time, for getting the biggest of all
the road plums yet secured, the paw
ing of the twenty miles on the yell
lowstone highway.
The eight projects already done
Dr. in progress at cost of over
f3O0,00 have cost the county only
about fifteen thousand out of taxes
IF out of the treasury during the ad-
of four years of the
present board. The rest is money
hey have recovered from former
leals and what they have secured by
lsing these refunds in matching
tate and federal moneys. They
lave been further handicapped by
he fact that the legislature cut on
bout twenty per cent of the road
und by having the auto license
money applied on the new bond in
crest fund instead of allowing it to
e divided among the counties as was
one before. During the panic a
arge amount of taxes have gone
olluQuout, anu Iildt VI COuTSo Cut | |
own the available cash at the dis
osal of the board, but with the ,
resent prospect for good prices of
arm products this fall there is rea-
On to believe that considerable of
ne delinquent taxes will be paid, j..
nd thereby make it possible to go I.
n with the road projects that are ,,
lost needed.
This is the record of achievements
Bingham county in road matters
nd financing in four years of panic,
nd while this has been done, the
ounty indebtedness has been re-
uced and the county warrants put
ack at par. 1t u.s., as we said, an ex- Q
erience with its ups and downs, its c
sgrets and victories. But the re-
rets came first and the victories fol- t
wed on the long home stretch, and 8
le track Is still clear ahead for 9
mother administration under the /
L.