The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1927-09-29
AL ARE FOR
DUST RELIEF
gany Problems Face the
Good Roads Conven-
tion-Politics Lead
Rx Richard Hamilton

AZ the WdSullS oOh ocoSS doou
uaads association, Longview, Fri
jsv and Saturday. And there is a
.rosuect ~ of the conventions USE
snlness as guide for public opin-
IN ~; being destroyed by unyielding
isctionalism. 1t is already appar-
srt m that many delegates will be
,uIed primarily by desires to either
improve or rebuke Gov. Hartley.
lust now it seems 1s if the "old
suardo-and the term is not used
Z derogatory sense-will man
,ce to retain it's old hold and con-
.,ol the convention. In this group
Won will find Samuel Hill, Frank
Terrace, Sen. Carlyon, Sen. Oliver
Hall and others of varied import
.uce. Some of them have their fists
,Iiuched, fiery eyes, eager to stern
" spank Mr.. Hartley; feeling, hon
estly or professedly, that the gov
eruor is wrecking the highway sys-
tenn they conceived, fostered and
dsyeloped. On the other hand, there
are some. such as Sen. Norman,
e.-Speaker Danskin, and others
who feel that the governor is do
iur the state service by refusing
to splay ball" with those who have
Dictated the road program for
more than a decade.
So there you have the setting
for a lively row. There may be
harmony, of course, but if peace
reigns it will be because neither
faction feels sure of enough
strength to boss the convention.
One faction may find itself so far
out numbered that it will decline
to fight, resorting to the old po-
itical dodge of eff you can't whip
EN-, join 'em.' 1t is more likely
however, that the boys, most of
whom are pretty much 'het up
will prefer to fight and fall on their
amparts.
Even if political factionaism
should be suppressed, the conven-
ton will have plenty of trouble on
It's hands,. The demands for roads
thanges in policy, etc., are still
much the same as the demands
that racked and shook the 1927
legislature. Briefly, some of the
roblems are:
Dust problem. Spokane and Sc
ittle want an east-west paved hi
way. Wenatchee wants to be on
the proposed highway. Walla Wal
a. backed by many forces of the
vest side, favor a southerly route,
Or loop, to stop the tendency of
tourists and residents of the south
ern tier of counties from quitting
the state to drive down the oiled
and paved Columbia River high
way. That is a troublesome prob
lem in itself.
Financing: Some, such as Sen
ator Reba Hurn, wants to stop all
other work for one year to con-
sentrate On the east-west highway.
representative Ed Sims, a power
lul leader in the legislature, wants
$lO,O00,000 bond issue and an
extra cent on the gasoline tax,
Yielding about two million dollars
year, to retire the bonds. Some
seattle boosters want a $20,000,O0O
bonds issue to be retired by the
extra tax on gasoline. Others are
opposed to any bond issue, prefer
nmg to stick to the pay-as-you-go
p0ncy. These conflicting ideas are
not likely to be composed without
1guments and plenty of pungent
words.
oiling: Here is some more trou-
oe. Some want to use heavy oil
W the roads of eastern Washing
.0n,, or such types of surfacing
mat are called "tarvia' and "gas-
90: but others shout ssnothing
Ssong; that's the first step toward
olacktop." Everybody, it seems,
Tor dust relief, but there is not
snough unity of thot to promise a
thod.
= Gasoline tax increase: The
Sfange is inclined to oppose any
Icrease in the gasoline tax un-
ess the extra money is used for
y system of farm-to-market roads.
!ae Grange wants the extra tax,
suout S2,000,000 a year. to be dis
a'outed among the counties, half
~ sne basis OF money paid in and
Sal devided equally-the idea be-
ag to help the small counties to
peed up the improvement of their
.Ssus. That means some more dick.
1ng and confusion.
initiative measure: There are
.l1llcatlons that the Automobile
s1o ss OF Washington would be pleas
20 sponsor an initiative meas
s.s e IN the 1923 elections for en-
.snent of dustless road pro-
sam. sam. That is, provided the good
.Oaus convention should agree or
NJ. satisfactory program. The pri.
roaSy, purpose of the initiative
o," .ulo be to permit work on the
nram in 1929, instead of wait.
eas. until 1881, which would be the
u the program should have