White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1925-04-17

While no vote was taken at The
meeting held in Hanford on Monday
evening to discuss the Independent
highway district proposed by Sunny
side residents, it is pretty safe to pre-.
sumo from the sentiment expressed
that had such vote been taken il
would have been practically unani
nous against the district.
Close to fifty residents of White
Bluffs and about the same number OF
Hanford residents were at the meet
ing and in addition there were repre-
sentatives from Kennewick and Pros
ser. County officials present included
County Commissioners Robert Prior
of Benton City and C. E. DeBow OF
Prosser, County Attorney Geo. o.
Beardslcy and County Auditor E. o.
Keene. All of these men spoke. on the
proposition. Mr.. Beardsley read the
petition for the district and the law
upon which the petition was drawn
and explained just how the law would
operate if such district were or
ganized DR.. Prior, Mr.. DeBow and
Mr.: Keen all took the position that
there is very little to recommend the
formation of such a district to Ben
ton county residents and, in general,
condemned it. They called attention
to the fact that the boundaries of the
district, as set out in the petition,
would place the bulk of the voting
population in Sunnyside while rs per
cent of the land that would be taxed
70 pay for the proposed highway
would be in Benton county. This
would permit Sunnyside to elect the
directors and thereby dictate the poll;
cy of the district. This, they said,
would be a nice arrangement for
Sunnyside but hardly desirable for
Benton county land owners having
property in the district.
The petition was filed with the
board of county commissioners in
Benton county last week. The law
provides it should be signed ~ rs
residents of the district. It carried
this number Of signatures but an ex-
animation showed them to all be
business men Of Sunnyside.
Upon the advice of County Attor-
ney Geo o. Beardsley, the commits
sioners rejected the petition on the
ground that it was illegal and insult
fcient and did not confer upon the
Board any jurisdiction to act there
under and it was ordered to return
to its makers.
1t is anticipated that the Sunny
side folks will be back with another
petition at the next meeting of the
board and will make fight to put
II over. To offset this attempt it ID
PToposed to organize the residents of
Benton county to prevent the forrna-
ton of the district.
The petition is drawn up in an at
tempt to comply with Chapter 16 of
the Session Laws of 1917 and pro-
vides for the organization of an in
dependent highway district which in
clrdes property in Benton, Yakima
and Grant counties, a total of $50
square miles or $4,000 acres. It is
proposed after the district is organ
lied that a trunk line of highway
be built using what is known as the
Pittman Way, or two strips of con-
cave cement as the basis of the road
building. The county commissioners
have estimated the cost of the high
way proposed, to be between a mil
lion and quarter and million and
half dollars. Under the law this
would have to be paid for by special
assessments similar to those Of the
Donahue road plan and in accordance
with the benefit derived. Also some
what similar to that of an irrigation
district The proposed district is stu
ated about two-thirds in Benton