The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-09
IMPORTANT WORK AHEAD.
There Will Be No SinecureS in
the State Bureau of
Highways.
so SAYS ENGINEER MANSON.
The Members of the Bureau VIII
Meet and Organize for
Business.

The members OF the State Bureau of
Highways, recently appointed by Governor
Budd under the provisions of the law
passed by the last Legislature, will meet
and organize at the Capitol building in
Sacramento tomorrow.
The bureau, as provided by the law, is
composed OF three members, two OF whom
are civil engineers and one business man.
The engineers are Marsden Manson of this
city and J. L. Maude OF Riverside. r. c..
Irvine of Sacramento is the business repre-
sentative. Mr.. Hanson said yesterday:
There is a great deal of important work be-
fore the bureau in the immediate future. The
law is broad and comprehensive and the bu-
reau, ii properly organized ana efhclently con,
Quoted, viii be the means OF doing great deal
of good for this State. l have travelled all over
California in ell directions, from side to side
and from end to end, and am well informed
on the condition OF the public roads. Some OF
them are very good, indeed, but q great many
are in need OF immediate improvement.
There is vast amount OF money expended
on roads in this State, and q still greater
amount is wasted for the want OF good roads
through some Of the country districts The
breakeges of vehicles, the cost or repairs, the
exhausting OF the energies OF man and beast
and the time lost in hauling half loads are
items of direct expenditure that should re-
ceiFe more attention in the future than they
have done in the past.
1t will be the aim of the bureau to reach
every road district in the State at the earliest
time possible so as TO give them the fuII bene-
fits of the law. There is no State in the Union
where good roads could be found more service
able and profitable either as business propo-
sition or source OF pleasure.
The first work to be done by the bureau viii
be TO organize under the provisions OF the law,
so as to carry out the laws idea or usefulness.
In order 10 do this there must be no sinecures
in the assisting branch of the bureau. If |
3
ploye must be thoroughly efficient and fitted
for the work he is 10 do. The bureaus created
for two wears only and hence you see there is n
time for loahng on the job.
Among the first items in the work viii be the
location and direction of efficient rock
crushing plant at the Folsom prison and the
arrangement OF modes for distributing the
rock in the adjacent counties, and such other
counties and districts as can be economically
supplied from that source.
It will be our duty 10 advise the Boards OF
Supervisors of the different counties as 10 the
best means for building and maintaining pub
lie roads, but in these matters We have no
executive power. But we have executive au-
thority over all roads that are to be constructed
by the State. Again, the bureau viii act as an
advisory body TO the State in so far as unfit
cation OF State laws relating 10 the acquisition
OF rights OF way, construction and mainten-
ence of highways are concerned.
The law provides, among other things, that it
shall be the duty of the Bureau OF Highways TO
gather from each county in the State statistics
condition OF Improvement, the condition Of
the titles 10 right OF way, the method OF OBJ
tanning title and keeping the records thereof;
the method OF procedure in granting, closing
and altering roads; the manner in which roads
are constructed and maintained; the amount
expended in the last ten years for highway
purposes together with the rate OF taxation on
500 that is appointed 70 the road fund. The
bureau shall also inquire into the Topographic
cal and geological featu4 es of each county,
and more particularly as 10 the accessibility of
water for road-sprinking purposes, and stone
sand, adobe, or any other material suitable for
matchmaking purposes. One or more members
OF the bureau shall visit each county in the
State at least once in each year. and shall hold
therein public meeting, at which there shall
be an open discussion OF all matters relating TO
highways or highway improvement
In speaking of the proposed boulevard
from this city to and through the Santa
Clara Valley, Mr.. Manson said:
The boulevard proposition advocated by the
CALL is splendid thing, and should be earn
estfy supported, officially and otherwise. The
interests of the whole comm unity viii be well
You will hardly find trained engineer in the
world who does not recognize that the dawn
OF science in engineering commenced with the
construction OF great public roads. The grand
old roads built in prehistoric times. and which
are still in existence, demonstrate this fact.
lapse OF more than twenty centuries. But they
were not constructed OF rotten rock and poor
cement.
Another thing which Mr.. Manson con-
sidered was that they were not looked
after and kept in repair by men with q
''pull IL on the ruling political bosses of the