The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1927-02-03
FIGHT LOOMS
ON ROAD PLAN
Cow Counties Want Help
on Road Work-Ask
Cent More Gas Tax

With the legislature rambling
along in its fourth week, it looks
more and more as if the people
may safely relax and be satisfied
that there will be no drastic laws
to curb personal liberties or to in.
crease the tax load. Gov. Hart.
ley can not push much thru the
legislature. and the legislature car
not pass much, if anything, over
the governors veto. Consequently
what bills squeeze through must
perforce be more beneficial than
harmful to the folks at home.
Only the roads are in danger OF
grinding by the political gods. Mr..
Hartley and j. w. Hoover, state
highway engineer, are still cling
ing to control and standing pat
for the $24, 484,O00 road program
But the senate roads committee
is going ahead with program on
the basis of $2O,6O0,OOO, the a.
mount of the visible income; and
the senate "old guard" headed by
Mr.. Hall and Mr.. Carlyon, are
pressing forward, silently but
steadily, with their bill to create
a highway department. to elimi-
nate Mr.. Hartley. Unless some
body quits, there must be clash,
and it may result in deadlock
to jeopardize the highway pro-
gram. Then, again, public concern
over roads may force compro-
mise.
Two road bills of Importance
are being shaped for introduction,
and they are likely to cause an
east-west break.
The long rumbling demand for
more money for eastern Washing
ton has broken into shout with
26 out of 20 east side house men,
bers backing a bill for paved
loop. The plan, first proposed by
Rep. Ed Sims, calls for 55S miles
of concrete paving that would run
from Seattle to Ellensburg, thru
the Kittitas and Yakima valleys,
over to Walla Walla, up the Pa
louise to Spokane, across the Big
Bend to Vantage Ferry, thence to
Ellensburg. Wenatchee would be
connected with a 2O-mile spur
from Vantage Ferry.
1t would cost about $4,000 900.
The bill would add cent to the
gasoline tax, increasing revenue
by nearly $2,OOO,0OO a year, and
carry a referendum for bond is
sue of from ten to fifteen mil
lion dollars. The theory is that the
extra gasoline tax would retire
the, bonds.
Rep. Remley of Chelan. Jones,
Douglas, and Cross, Adams. de-
clined to support the bill.
West side counties are sure to
balk for two reasons. First. they
are reluctant to abandon the 'spay-
as-you-go" policy, under which the
highway system has been develop
ed. Second, most of the coast
counties have voted bond issues
and they are in no mood to accept
more taxes to help pay for east
side paving.
Instead, it is more likely that
west side counties will favor a
counter plan of s'farm-to-market"
roads-or county systems of high
ways. This plan, originally spon-
sored by the Grange, is coming up
In a bill from Representative Tenn
pleton, Everett, and others. It pro-
vides for an extra cent on the gas
ollne tax, which would raise about
$2,0O0,000 a year. extra, and all
OF the money would go to the
counties. The first million would
be divided equally among the
counties, giving each county. re-
CARELESS of size, more than $685.
600 to start with. The other mil
lion would be apportioned on the
basis of property valuations. The
money would be handled by coun-
ty commissioners, their plans sub
Ject to the regulations and approx
al of the state highway engineer.
In other words, it's a bill to give
lift to the "little cow counties"
Here are some more highway
cross-currents to bedevil the leg
lsiature. The cities, especially Sc
attic and Spokane, are cold on the
1arm-to-market" plan because
they don't care to contribute more
money to the small counties. Then
again, Seattle wants s1,5OO,OoO
from the state for the Stone Way
bridge in Seattle OIL co1,ona e