The Coolidge examiner., 1941-05-16

are confiding personal grievances
to friends to keep secret any
longer the fact that internal dis
sension exists in the governors
political ranks.
Some of the elder and more ex-
per1enced politicos are provoked
at the attention the chief execu-
tive gives to suggestions from the
small group of younger men who
stuck by the governor during the
two lean years following his de-
feat in 1898.
They say that instead of devils
ing long-range projects combining
practical and political benefits,
the chief executive finds surcease
from the cares of state In the
sophomoric adulation of the young
group surrounding him.
What is undoubtedly the strong
est pressure group ever organized
behind an Arizona road project Is
insisting on designation of the
Verde river route as a state high
way.
Those familiar with promotions
are wondering where all the mon
ey is coming from. The routes
sponsors employ a full time publ.
clst, purchase expensive radio time
and have funds handy for reams
of printed matter.
This column has been caustical-
ly criticised for recent comments
on activities of the Verde route
! sponsors. 1t is only fair to make
a position known.
Until few weeks ago. this
column. without paying any par
t1cular attention to the matter,
was In accord with the idea tina
central and southern Arizona
should have a more direct route
to the delightful summer recrea-
tion area in the Flagstaff sector.
Having driven over the present
Black Canyon road numerous
times, the "all water grade" slo-
gan of the Verde. route sponsors
had considerable appeal.
1t was a surprise to learn from
highway department engineers
that the so-called "all water grade"
up the Verde canyon had a verti.
cal rise and fall of $500 feet on
maximum grade Of six per cent as
against only 1900 feet on the
Black Canyon route. It was even
more surprising to learn that the
Black Canyon route is actually
shorter-by four-tenths of a mile
than the Verde.
Engineers also blasted the claim
of Verde sponsors that the route
could be built as a military high
way by exhibiting letter from
u. S. Sen. Carl Hayden which
stated that the army has no funds
for road building and that 1t
hasn't built military road in the
| United States In lao years.
The Hayden letter quoted the
secretary of war as saying U. S.
No. 80, the present designated
route via Prescott, was suitable
for all military purposes in event
of an emergency" F
Senator Hayden's letter also
pointed out the impossibility of
obtaining sufficient funds from
the forest service to construct the
Verde road. If ALL the forest
service road monies allotted to
Arizona were spent on the Verde
to the exclusion of all other forest
roads-something which never
would be done-it would require
the entire appropriations for IL
years. e
The senator's communication
knocks every contention of the
Verde route sponsors into a cock
ed hat, except one. 1t Is true the
Black Canyon route at one point
reaches an altitude 700 feet high
er than the Verde route between
Phoenix and Sedona, where both
routes join to go through, Oak
Creek canyon.
But, an altitude of 5000 feet, the
maximum on Black Canyon, Is
considerably less and more likely
to be free from snow in winter
than the more than. 1000 feet ira
versed by BOTH routes on the
plateau above Oak Creek canyon.
Then, there is the cost to be
considered. The same engineers
estimate the cost of re-aligning
the Black Canyon route to make 1t
a 80 m.p.h." road at $3,8O0,OOO as
against $6.7OO,O0O for the route
via the Verde canyon.
! This column is of the opinion
that any unprejudiced person, af-
ter viewing this evidence and con
siderably more engineering data,
would take the position that II d
shortcut. between Phoenix and
Flagstaff is needed, it should by
all means be constructed along the
shortest and most economical