Beaumont and Banning Road Work Begins
The work on the link of the county highway system between Beaumont and Banning, in Riverside County, will be begun within the next month. The citizens of the San Gorgonio Pass, being dissatisfied with the progress made by the commission in the construction of the various portions of the system lying in the eastern end of the county, made such a protest at the meeting of the Supervisors in December that the commissioners became immediately active and instructed their attorneys to bring condemnation proceedings to acquire title to various rights of way in order that nothing might stand in the way of the actual construction work.
Titles to the two pieces of land in controversy between Beaumont and Banning have been acquired by deed during the past month. The Supervisors of this county have authorized the commission to begin work at once either by contract or by local labor at day's work.
Monday morning a corps of engineers under instruction from the commission began a topographical survey of this link and are now setting grade stakes so that everything will be in readiness for the actual construction work.
Meantime the citizens of the Coachella Valley, believing that the desert end of the highway, which is one of the most important stretches in the proposed Ocean to Ocean Highway, would not be constructed before the excessive heat of the summer made work impossible, held a public meeting at the Thermal Baptist Church to protest.
After a spirited discussion over the situation, the following resolution was passed:
"Resolved, That the dilatory measures of the County Highway Commissioners is hereby condemned and that the practice of depositing county funds in banks at a nominal rate of interest is not conducive to the immediate building of the county highways for which the money was voted, and that the attention of the Grand Jury is hereby called to the condition of things and an investigation asked for."
The amount of bonds voted for highway purposes in November of 1913 was $1,125,000, and the amount expended to date is in the neighborhood of $50,000.
The county of San Bernardino which recently voted a large sum for highway purposes has only offered a half million for sale at this time, thus effecting a large saving in their annual interest charges.
A petition is being circulated among the voters in the eastern end of this county, asking the State to appropriate the sum of $200,000 to assist in the building of an automobile highway between Banning and Yuma by way of Coachella Valley, Brawley and the Mammoth Wash.
Gets Ten Days
Wilbur Lain, chauffeur for Dr. A. J. Minaker, was sentenced to ten days in the county jail by Police Judge Shortall recently, without the alternative of a fine, for driving an automobile while intoxicated. Frank W. Chapman, owner of a rent car, was complainant against Lain. He testified that he had a load of passengers on the Ocean Boulevard, and that he tried to steer to one side of Lain, who was in a machine in front of him.
Lain apparently disregarded his siren and clung to the roadway. In order to pass him, Chapman would have to run the risk of going over the bank. He tried to make the turn on the other side and took off the wheel of Lain's car. The police investigation discovered that Lain had been drinking, and arrested him. Judge Shortall first fixed the penalty at $50 fine or ten days, but on learning that Lain would have no difficulty in raising the sum, changed his order and eliminated the fine.
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