VOTERS TO DECIDE FATE
BONDS AT FRIDATC ELECTION
MISUNDERSTANDING OF PROVISIONS SEEMS TO BE MORE OR LESS GENERAL IN COUNTY
Contrary To Popular Opinion Taxes Would Not
Be Increased Disliibution And Use Of
Money Definitely Outlined Each
Road Will Get Its Share
Thursday night tlnj campaign for the proposed road
iond issue'of $-'62,000, to be used in bringing the trunk
oads of the county to a permanent line and grade, will
lose and l-'riday morning the fate of the issue will be in
J he hands of the voters. On the results of Friday's elec
tion depends the future pre sperity of Coos county, to a
k reat cxttent, and every uter owes it to himself and the
community to be thoroughly familiar with the details of
' ic bond issue before ho votes "yes" or "no".
The pioposal as it will appear on the ballot provides,
that should the proposition carry, the county will issue
i ood roadf bonds to the .'Xiont of $302,000 bearing five per
nt interest and running i'i r a period of 11 years. Be-
inning at the end of the fifth year, and every year there
Aler until the end of the fourteenth year, $30,000 of the
rincipai will be paid off annually along with the interest.
or the first five years the interest will amount to .$18100
c year and will then decrease each year along with the
( ecreaiiing pruicipal, until the interest for the fourteenth
ar will be only $L,fcl0. i 'guring the assessed valuation
l Coos county at tflHJOO.MM), the average tax rate each
-oar necessary to lake .re of the principal and interest,
,-ould be 2.1 milk.
I'Mgui ng 2.1 mills as Pie average yearly tax rate, we :ire
assuming tint the assessed valuation of the, county will
not increase during i le coming 14 years and in this as
sMinption ue are going beyond the range of probability.
1 Hiring the 11 years bol.vcen 1901 and 1915 the assessed
aluation of the county raised from $2,70(5,000 to $18,100,
t 00. Although it is not probable that the rate of increase
v ill be a great in the coming M years as it has been in
i i the past it is safe to say that the tax rate would not
.e much more than one naif of 2.1 mills during the List
. iree or four years that the bonds would run.
The idea that should ihe total bond issue carry, u
.ould In paving a higher load tax than at present, is not
jrrect. At present we aie spending $75,000 a year or
remanent lino and grade work, or twice the sum whicV
t is proposed to spend , early should the bonds carry, li
ther w id.s, the road tax c are now paying to put the
oads o.. a permanent line and grade is nearly -1.2 nulls
s against the 2.1 mills it would be under the road bonds
Redemption of the bonds and the payment of the inter
st on them will be made without increasing the taxes-
ne cent. .
In thf matter of how the money derived from the sale
of the bonds is to be u&ed. there seems to be considerable
misunderstanding. The entire sum is to be spent in lin
ing up and grading the trunk roads, the apportionment
ooing as follows:
$lu,,000 Coquil!e-Coos Bay
13,000 Coquille-J tandon
'16,000 Glasgow Haynes Inlet
04,000 Bandon-t.urry County
l(i,000 (Joqnille-Myrtle Point
1IJ.000 Jlavnes Inlet-North Inlet
Thec apportionments are made a part of the measure
:.s it will be voted on and should the bonds carry, the
noiu can be spent only where it has been apportioned.
The $01,000 s,et aside I'm he Bandon-Curry county road
must be spent on that ivnci and no other. All of the work
is to be done under the supervision of Road Master Mur
c and the County Court, acting along with the State
iirhu'iiv dmmrtmont .
S.iihj oi th nion.y derived from the sale of the bonus
to be u.-ed in hard' surfacing any of the roads mention
,wl 'Ph.. !di:i i: to nut these roads into such condition
ths't the can be surfaced permanently as the money is
v.iilablo 'I here is one icat.ure oi ine proposed ooim.
. n li.,nll :mno:il to all of the voters who study the situ-
. , i m; the regular road tax money will be free for use in
(proving and bringing to line and grade ine reeder road?
uiioughout the county, Besides this, the State Highway
. i . i i ... -i r i.. i.'' i ,..,,1 4ii, iii.
v. oinmission nas pieogeu umus iu uu uai-u m int
uwii of the road from Myrtle Point to the Douglass count.
linn TP honds earrv at Friday's election, practically
all of the roads ii the county will be brought to a perman
,t lino and irrade within three years.
From all parts of the county reports are coming that
. . 1 . iiri l ill.
ihe road bonds are going to carry, we nave nearo mai
oport on previous read improvement propositions ana
..ecause some of the supporters were overcontident ol lu
result, the tu-eisosals have neon defeated. Probably thc.v
i vstfrvfiA dtiVal, for they were all more or less indefinate
;n ihtit jifeyoSaJj;. This fine we have a definate plat.
juTUiw?J, $da?i yriiich c!in la made the beginning of a sen
i5)k mm Asltiewxl road iuhy for tlie future.'
hndlriji't'oioimty for ,$362,000 we a'rq not taking
V.tit'MWU wy from the assets of the community, but
w w m mm. mm
COOS COUNTY
OREGON
Seal In. I M.I.
ffafl finr0n v' Good Stbods
flssoesfton Siexvftf tvA nfi it
oecamjaAjieef nv fate At jee.oao'
Bond ss9 i
1 J 1 1 f t -J J W '
mm mam rreftrea srtcvn
Til
Map Showing Trunk
Roads to be Brought
To Line And Grade By
Proposed Bond Issue
'f ft hfis i&
..'.Wl-iiLfCt-A t W1Vf .-M'
si r""; vi txW ww"l?
' MlptK ;;;t 4 iV-?m- 'wU 'Ur
.ire simplj borrowing that amount of monoy to invest in
.i proposition that will increase the assets of the county.
Ninety per cent of the money will be spent right here in
''oos cjunty for labor, thus increasing the flow in our
irade channels.
Over one-third of the valuation of Che county is now
n the ciiies who will pay this share of road improvement.
J'liis disparity ofvalue is due to the inaccessability of the
jutlying districts as land increases in value as the zone is
.videnea by which it can be formed profitably. The in
.rease in property values ."lone will liquidate the bonds.
Coos County is an cmp?ro by itself. Without rail con
nection with the outsio , rld; with a system of roads?
aracticad impassible ri . . ;S the greater part of the year;
vith less than 20,000 ac ... of the entire county actually
.mder cultivation, when ..i.e-third of the acreage of the
iounty, with an area 02' -tL'S, about one-third larger than
he state of Rhode Island, is susceptible of cultivation;
A'lth a ju) lation of only 21.001, or 12.9 to the square nvl
; with nearly 21,000.iuO,rOf) of merchantable standing
imber; this favored h.nd lia.s increased in assessed vah:
ition in l v years over C6;5per cent .
With the entrance of tin railroad giving Coos outside
communication a new era dawns, and it becomes evident
Lhat if tlie people of the county are to take advantage of
n condi .ion (presaging atiancement, progress and pros
perity, it is necessary to turn to the one proposition of vi
tal imparlance, that of improving the roads and highways:.
Without the rural road the interior of the County must
remain isolated and inaccessible: Improvement will b?
retarded, progress halted, and advancement remain sta
tionary. Improved roads mean an increase in property
value, better facilities lor educational opportunities, as
children will be enabled to leach the school house, social
and religious advancement, as the good road promotes ex
change of ideas and intercourse between people of a com
munity. Good tanos, better Jiving, enlarged edumtiomUjfiMlitro.s
promotion of so cial and rolijHous inUrcoumc tire aH.ayn
uayntduF v, Ij.h.ood i-nad htMieo a Vote for thu bonds
nouns pvegrasitQi adyancaniQiit and prosperity,.
NIELSON EXPA1NS
ROAD BOND ISSUE
Thinks Proposal a Good One
SHOWS HOW INST HA I) OK IN
ritlCASINC TANKS. MONFY
SI'KNT FOR (iOOO KOADS WILL
UKDITCK ASSESSMENTS (JOol)
HIGHWAYS WILL STIMULATK
SI7ITLHMKNT OF UNUSKI)
LAND.
1 have lictM tulkin to u nuinher of
iitkoiw who (jo not seem understand
lie present iroosel road bond muu
.tiro correctly. As I understand thin
ivitter, the money to he raised hy
lomline; is to Imj used for the purpoHo
uf esUvblishiiiK roads on a tfrado pre
paratory to surfacing if such jIiouIl
want to he done at a later date.
Some seem to have the impression
that the roads are to be put on a line
jrudo and surfaced andfor those uridyl
iuis impression, I wish to statu thnt
uch is not the case. The roads arc
to be put on a line Krade only.
It is evident, that in order to build
ood roods there must first be a foun
dation established upon which to build
ind this is the purposo for which the
money is to be raised, and I fed that
the move is n Kood one. Upbuilding'
.if any community whether situated
i loriK distances from markets or close
in,Mcends upon Itfi roads. If tho
community ei u prosperous one, it is
evident that it has u''d roads, and If
ive ire Kolntf to increase tho Improv
iHii of lands situated ouWdo of our
biiHiiiuss c4ntoi m, wo must first Imvu
guodoMiU, i-nd by liuviriK kooi rids
it wifl ntlinulat thw liuttlliiK Up of I he
rum) dUtrtotHi
' At t'i I'rtw-'iil tfme It it klinont m
possible to use the roads four or five
months anJ somo times longer du.-itiR
the year, and owing to this fact, will
it induce Uie settling up of our rural
districts? You know and lknow Hint
persons with money to invest are
ing to buy property where it is ac
cessible to markets. People who havu
no money with which to buy p:operty
take up homesteads in our rural dist
ricts and many times barely nviko n
living. If we have good roads it wdi
help these people that are settling up
tho country, 40 get closer to the mar
kets and will furthermore stimulate
tho settling up of unused lands a.-.d
bring more of it under cultivation .wid
subject to taxation. The more hind
that can bo gotten in shape subject to
taxation will help relieve those tli.it
to-day aro bearing a heavy bunion.
Taxes H Oivgon to-day are nimt
the highest of any stale, because there
is too much unsettled land. Tho ot
ponses of the sUUe and counties will
run on just the same, whether wo
have an ac,-o of land subject to pay
tho expenses or whether wo have o:ie
million acres. Consequently, the
more land wo can got improved nat
will help to carry the expenses, the
less the taxes will be proportionately.
One reason that Oregon is so spar
sely settled in the lack of good roads
nd 1 nut ir one reuron also, why
.1 aro so hijfh. The population vill
have to Ir increased and .a'ids will
lave to bo improved before we i'in
figure on getting relief from our pic
i tit high t.-.xes, jind one of the bust
.usiuess strokes that we can do lb U
,ct more :mh1 bolter roi'ds. We an
r.ot expect to have them come to .is.
it (s up to us to get busy and work
for them.
One often hears tho remark hehi;
made by a numebr of people who lh 3
in the country, that roads benefit Mo
automobile. They certainly do, lull
who henefitfl more by it than the rural
residents. They often fight good
ion (Is the hardest and when once the)
lee what good roads mean, they thon
aro the hardest workers.
It has often been Haid that tho Co
lumliia Highway has Increased pio
perty values about thirty million dol
lars. If it can increase property va
lues elsewhero, it would seem ovide.it.
that it should help increase proper'
y-clues here as well. This is nothing
more than reasonable. If this cm bs
lono elsewhere, it can bo dona to tsomo
jxtent here.
.lust slop r.nd think of the land sur
'ounding us within 41 rndius of ten to
iwcnty miles, that could bo made to
produce many times more than what
i now being produced, if the property
owners could gut all their produce to
nuirket ut uny time in the year. As
1 rule the majority have cleared en
ough land co that they can mako a
living and that is all they can do be
.ause they cannot market more, and
if they could raise more, they could
not get it to market, owing to tho poor
onditiou of the roads and the cost of
hauling over such roads. Hut if the
-oads are gotten to a line grade, it
will elimiimta hnuling up grades and
anyone reasonably knows that more
.an be hauled on n level road than on
1 grade. One also knows that the
time saved in going to and from tnark-
ts on good roads has U bo consider
ed, and time is worth money.
It is evident that if the county con
.inues spending money on our present
poor roadc, thnt we will never get
anywhere, and in order to maku a
.bowing tho present methods will have
'o be discontinued. We must havj it
10 that money can bo used for permu
lent roads, and as the road (pistinn
now stands, we are spending all oar
.noney trying to keep the roads puss
able the best way possible. And
where arc we getting? Cun
we expect to get continuing to uso oar
road money for this purpose? In ttvi
first place, our roads are not on a b-.u
grade or permanently established, ai'.l
consequently all the monoy thnt . i
being spent on keeping them open n
wasted. AIISOLUTKLY WASTED.
It is about time to make a rhage, isn't
it? I feel thnt way.
We realize that our road laws will
have to be changed to meet present
conditions, but that nil takes lima m il
we get nowhere, in the mountlmo
spending money on roads that cannot
bo perinnontly improved,
We havo to make a str.it and now
11 just as good a time i.n any. I-'
us all work together to innkullmt atari
IM un ull work together to gt llu
buildint; of goqd roiul inteil and
feu) tliut wu will be puid liutly tJlliot
In Hit; ufiiitdtvu ttttulU tlmt will wun
Iw vu by lutvlnK Kf'wl rmi
(Coritliiuud an tmi? i)