Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1925-10-14
For
Insurance
that Insures
See
Jonas Radcliffe
Eagle River
Wisconsin's Highway Bill.

WiscOnsin's Highway Bill.
! When various agencies clamored
for a gasoline tax in Wisconsin
during the past two or three years
to help pay the cost of our state
highway system, they did so with
the understanding that the tax
would take the place of the auto
tax and would be a more equitable
way of proportioning the costs,
says the Tomahawk Leader.
Instead of lessening the tax and
more equitably distributing it, we
find that the motorists of Wiscon-
sin have been saddled with an
extra drain to continue to build
more roads which if computed at
the end of the year will mean a
whole lot to each individual.
Wisconsin motorists will pay
something like four or five million
dollars more this year to run their
cars. Every cent of the millions
will be spent to either build or i'm
prove already existing roads.
The cry is arising on every hand
that the highway commission is be-
ing arbitrary in their demands to
build and repair roads and never
seek the advice or wishes of the
respective communities where the
work is to be done.
We have a good example of it
right at home for the year of 1926
when sum in the neighborhood of
$4,000 will be expended to relocate
Highway 10 from Gilbert to Toma-
hawk, a distance Of five miles.
True, the road will eradicate bad
curve around the big hill at the
outskirts of the city but which at
the same time is admittedly one of
the prettiest if not the most scenic
between here and Merrill.
We say it is dangerous, but the
curve is of such nature that mo-
florists respect it and anyone with
any common sense of judgment at
all need have no fear of danger. If
there is danger in the curve it is
from some foolhardy motorist who
risks his own neck and those of
others who he may meet, but the
road is wide and plenty of room for
passage. If Lincoln county must
spend $50 900 to make it safe for a
small number of motorists who
can't respect other drivers rights,
then we had better spend few
dollars in a little prevention work.
Many newspapers which come to
our desk each week are beginning
to ask why the state is being so ar
bitrary. Over at Ladysmith they
are about to relocate part of High
way IA without the consent of the
taxpayers. The road is already
good and there is no claim made
that the expenditure is warranted.
Over at Tripoli, they are finishing
up the widening and Strengthening
Of Highway IA from Clifford to
McCord. Right in the village of
Tripoli, they have Strengthened out
the road by the elimination of a
short curve but which necessitated
the dynamiting of a bridge which
was built some two or three years
ago at a cost of S250O. This is only
one of the several bridges which
had to be rebuilt. Some six or
eight bridges have been rebuilt be-
tween Tripoli and McCord, a dis
lance of about four miles.
Is the Highway Commission seek
ing to build series Of race tracks
in Wisconsin or are they obsessed
with the idea that the motorists of
Wisconsin are fairly reeking with
money and want to see it spent?
The money which will be spent
south of Tomahawk next year for a
gravel road would build almost
half Of the distance in concrete
and give US something permanent.
But the fact that this large sum
Of money is being spent on a gravel
road is not so bad but for the fact
that we know that Highway 10 is
to be a federal road and within the
next two or three years will be re-
built into a permanent concrete
road. Isn't it about time that we
lay off some of this road work until
the state, federal commission and
the taxpayers themselves can come
to an understanding of what is
needed and wanted?
In place of heads or tails" in
tossing coin, there are some
people in Ireland who will say
VIII you have head or harp?" This
comes from the coinage struck in