This comes from The San Jose Letter, July 11, 1896. It speaks to a couple things of interest today: changes in buying power; public-sector employment vs private-sector; the value of good infrastructure in making life/business easier. As noted in an earlier post, "road" in this era is likely to be a reference to railroads, not a paved highway. Today, a well-designed, well-paved highway will use less fuel and do less damage to one's car or truck, not to mention get one to one's destination faster.
SQUANDERED PUBLIC MONEY.
Why will men, as soon as elected to office, commence to squander the public money? Why cannot these chosen officers transact business for the county just as they would for themselves? Twenty-one years ago the supervisors of Santa Clara county allowed $2 for a day's work on the road. This was not materially different from the common wages of the day. Road work is reduced to 8 hours per day, while field work remains at 10. In parts of the country the pay for field work is reduced to one-half what it was, while road work remains unchanged except in time. In good old times the road worker got 20 cents per hour; in these pinching times he gets 25 cents. This 25 cents will purchase from two to three times as much food and raiment as the 20 cents would 15 years ago. Right here the taxpayer is pinched. Ten years ago two pounds of prunes would pay for an hour's work on the road; now it takes five pounds of the best prunes to pay for the same time. Only a very few of the favored ones can get work on the road. For the same wages almost any man had rather work 8 hours on the road than 10 hours in the field.
If the supervisors would hire labor as others hire it, they would be able, with the same amount of money, to double their force on the road. Hundreds of men would delight to get this work, even at the reduced rates. Our roads are good, yet they are not what they might be. No team can take a good load from here to Los Gatos without almost pulling the life out of them. With the amount of money now spent every hill could be leveled and every low place filled.
—Saratoga Item.
Comments