Douglas daily dispatch., 1928-02-26

uc Llul6 LOF OuQS0JluS the state
and county funds for highways is
drawing near and with an awaken
ed interest in the spending of the
taxes for road construction and
maintenance a number of proposals
are being drawn up throughout the
county for submission to the board
OF supervisors when they prepare
the tentative budget
Last June when the budgets were
drawn up, there was an unusual
distribution of the highway funds
in this county. On account of the
floods havirg washed out several
bridges in the north end OF the
county and III the Bisbee district,
those two districts got larger ap-
preparations than ordinarily, while
Douglas, with only a few small
bridges to rebuild, voted to rebuild
them from their regular approprfa-
ton.
FlIMuis Are Divided.
The Bisbee district was awarded
$65,OOO approximately for emerg-
eney work When the county
budget was made up, it was
brought out that the north end Of
the county needed funds for the
construction OF their highway over
STEMS pass.
This highway had been much al
pertised as cutting off miles in the
distance from FL Paso to Tucson
and incidentally does not touch at
any of the larger towns of CO.
chise county. The money was
cheerfully voted, however, III the
sum of $30,00D. M strings were
attached to this sum. which was
10 be expended by the supervisor
of the north end in whatever con-
struction or maintenance his people
should require.
Bisbee district asked for a sum
with which to build some connect
ing links and some better roads in
the Huachuca country to make it
easier for residents at the army
post and throu ghout that section o
get out toward Bisbee. Through an
agreement between Douglas and
Bisbee, the remainder CT the budget
funds were thus divided, with Bis
bee receiving $65,00O and Douglas
$4,000
Douglas Gets Smallest Sum.
The result of the budgeting and
the emergency proclamation was
that the north end of the county
got $4,000; the Bisbee district,
$125,000, and Douglas but $55,-
00O Out of the small sum the
Douglas district got there was the
regular program of maintenance to
continue with the additional ex-l
pense of building some bridges
washed out by the flood. The most
expensive bridge program to come
from this is the Leslie bridge.
In addition to giving the north
end of the county the 10000 with
unlimited authority to expend it asI
is customary, the expense Of finish
ing out a two-mile strip of rough
highway near Benson which con-
nected with a new bridge was
taken out of the emergency funds
for the bridge work, so that the
north end Iof the county had the
entire sum to devote to mainten-
ance or construction in the heart of
the district, and none of the fund
has been spent east of Benson. 1t
is pointed out in this connection
that the highway east of Benson
is federal highway and is main
tanned by the state and federal
funds, SO tha3 the roads within the
district were the only ones with
which the north end of county had
to contend.
Additional Help Given North End
There waa an understanding when
the budget was fixed that a por-
tion of the appropriation to the
north end of the county might be
put on an exceedingly rough stretch
of highway between Cochise and
Willcov. This is part of the North
and South highway running from
Douglas to Stafford, and is supposed
to be maintained by the state. The
state has not felt able to maintain
it, and the county has assumed the
obligation.
In an effort to open up high
way through the northern part of
the county from Benson through to
New Mexico and thus create tour
ist trade for that section, the funds
have not been expended this year
on the North and South highway
rough stretch. This highway had,
for years before it was finally put
into first-class shape, been boosted
as one of the most advantageous
projects for the entire county, that
could be built.
In addition to the stretch of
resources which was necessary il
order to construct the highway