The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1928-04-06
FOR BETTER STATE HIGHWAYS

There is much dissatisfaction throughout the state at
the with which the construction of federal and
state aid highways is being conducted There are dark
hints and insinuatons that the members of the high
way commission negecting the great state trunk
lines and spending the money at their disposal pro-
ects adjacent to the big cities where they themselves
live.
We have not investigated these charges but we
not overlook the fact that the fund the disposal of
the commission is totally inadequate for the carrying
out of any road program which will be of general
vice to the state for number of years. We must face
the grim fact that Montana highway conditions are IN
the stage that those of Minnesota and North Da
kota were ten years ago. In parts of the state
the main lines resemble the paths of twenty-five
years ago in everything but the intermittent impress
sions of automobile tires.
And this condition will not be remeded for many
years unless some means is found to enable the high
way commission to embark a sensible program of
road building. The commission is "cribbed, cab
ned and confined" in its operations for lack of suff
cient funds.
It's present road building program is a thing of
shreads and patches which pleases nobody and is of
slight advantage to the state If it proceeds at the
present rate it will be completed about the time air.
planes perfected that trunk highways will be OBJ
solete.
There is hardly any argument against the fact that
the people who here should enjoy the advant-
ages of good roads which the people in other states
possess Automobiles now so universal that there
be good objection to extending the advantages
of modern civilization to the people who live in
Montana
What then should be done to remedy the situation
What constructive program of action should be pro-
posed to enable the stalled road building program of the
highway commission to proceed? These are questions
that the reader will ask.
One answer is through a bond issue. A bond issue
Oated by the state would put money in the till of the
highway commission and would enable it to expedite
the building of its road program 1t would take the
money out of Wall tSreet and put it into circulation
among the workers in the cities and the producers on
the farms of the state 1t would help to increase en-
ployment and in that way make for the prosperity of
the people. 1t would bring about condition so the
persons who helped build this far flung state could en-
JOY the advantages of modern civilization and know
each other better while they enjoyed themselves in the
time still allotted for them to live 1t would SMELL
business pleasure and happiness
In floating the proposed bond issue there would be
no need to increase the taxes of single individual in
the state The gasoline tax and the federal aid money
would take of the interest and amortization The
man who uses the automobile would pay the tax to
meet this principal and interest and with good roads
the increased of the motor car would result in
consequent increase in the size of the gasoline tax fund
1t would also save the state 100000 federal aid
accrung from June 1927 until June 1928 Otherwise
the funds will be lost according to Mr. Toomey of Hell
ena, who is an authority on the subject
Bond issues have been enacted in New York Iowa
Utah. Illinois, Oregon, Delaware, West Virginia and in
North Carolina where the issue amounts to 100000
600 for good roads.
This highway proposition should be made an issue in
the coming state election Candidates should he made
to get off the fence and tell where they stand If
candidate for come forward with some
solution of this important problem he should not be
governor.
We DO not want any more Rip Van Wrinkles in the
governors chair. The people of Montana want men who
are elected to high office to henceforth do something
Io the state and people who should have first claim on
their services.