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

4 IN the several directions ID h00k
up with existing roads. They 80
state and federal men to 60 out an
look 1t over, but 1t was finally lef
for our board to prove their asser
tions. They found they would ihav'
to expend about twenty-five hundred
dollars of Bingham county's goot
money for surveys to prove theil
case or spoil it, as the case might
be. Last fall Addison T. Smith an
nounced that he would introduce q
measure in congress to set aside the
Craters OF the Moon as a national
park or monument, and with that
accomplished there would be greater
volume of tourist travel to that sec
ton. The board put surveyors in the
field, got the data in shape to prove
their contention Of this being the
best route. got the Lost river high
way designated as the connecting
link between Snake river and Lost
river, and then made application for
section of country with neither
inha bitants nor revenues for the adj
jacent counties, but an expensive
piece of road necessary for the &C
commod&tion of interstate travel.
and have obtained contracts for fed
eral aid In the proportion of AZ per
cent county money and SO per cent
federal money, for the grading only.
This was something that had not
been allowed before. Local financ-
ing had to be found for grading of
all other road projects and the fed
eral government would then share
in the surfacing or paving of 1t. But
this is a desert with much lava
no mans land, embracing one of the
great rocky fringes of the Craters
of the Moon a national encumbrance
too great to be handled by local
money-an unfair burden to lay
upon the nearest settlers just be-
cause they were near. On such pre-
of the subject the board
got 1t adopted and the contract let
for construction of 1879 miles of the
worst of it this year, SO the twenty
five hundred dollars which they
poured into surveys last fall and
winter to prove their contention was
the final gamble that won the battle.
Road Bids Opened
The bids were opened last Satur-
day at Pocatello for building this
worst section of the grade, and a
Bingham county man, John Wheel
er, with a good reputation among
the engineers as road builder, lost
the job by $285 a mile higher than |
the lowest bidder. A contractor |
usually brings his organization with |
him, and our board promptly made |
to have the job let to |
the second best bidder on the ground |
Of general economy and general adj
vantages of having it done by man |
who lived right by the project, who |
will employ the home people and |
use part of the receipts of the job |
to pay taxes on his property in this
county The home man has such |
4 good name as an agreeable and ef-
ficient road builder, one who does
lot give the engineers needless
one who finishes every job
n a satisfactory way, and whose
)ast record justifies the statement
hat when all these things are taken
nto consideration the second best
lid might in this case be the best
md cheapest, and might and prob
bly, would get the road completed
arliest.
The commissioners have studied
he forestry laws pertaining to roads
nd have found that some of the
erritory in the eastern part of the
ounty so much in need of road i'm
rOvement may be allowed appropri-i
lions for joint construction that
ill open roads to valuable timber
nd be the means of locating a saw
ill where the county can get much
aluable bridge timber and save !
Tipping 1t in from the coast.
The short section of half mile ,
unpaved road at the south end of ,
lie county at FIT. Hall, is to be paved :
3 part of the contract handled by )
annock county and the state and !
'deral government, all paid out of !
'deral moneys. !
Where Our County Wins.
Each of these sections of road we r
ave mentioned will now be main =
ined by the state highway depart
ent instead of by county moneys as q
Is always been done before. 1t has s
ken about seventy-five thousand
)llars a year for road improve q
ents and maintenance, mostly n
aintenance, and the major por-
On of it was expended on the roads .
at are now taken off Of our hands.
lis leaves US free to turn thirty q
ousand year to the payment Of .
terest on the 100000 of road 4
nds, turn of finances persistent h
held up to consideration in the n
ad bond campaign of 1918-1919 =
ID as persistently poo-hooed by the .
position as vain hope. 1t Is the !,
tention and hope of the board to Il
ade the rest of the Lost river high a
~ in the next year or two and :,