The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-03-27
THE STATE HIGHWAY COMMISSION
RIM

Grafton the amendment to the state con-
stitution relating to good roads is meet
ing peculiar opposition. The members
seem indisposed to carry out a law in
which the principle of the referendum
has been fully carried out They even
assume that supreme court can be
found which would rule against law
thus enacted by the vote of the electors
Of the entire state. Who ever heard of
q supreme court turning down a refer
endum vote? The expressed object of
the constitutional amendment passed two
years ago was to place the existing in
ternal Improvement fund in a road and
bridge fund and to place it's distribu-
ton with a highway commission acting
without pay, and the legislature is not
going to get it back into it's hands.
constitutional amendment reconsidering
the former vote would have only few
active advocates, while those favoring
good roads would set Up a counter agi-
tation. Since constitutional changes
now require a full majority of all
votes cast at tnat election the chances
for carrying such an amendment are
very small. Amendments usually. get a
light vote and few amendments can now
he carried. except by energetic and ex-
tensive agitation.
The state highway fund has now ne
Gun To acrupouIata fory,,or l,,,i7c-o ,,
priations having nearly all been paid by
the state treasurer. This fund will con-
tlnue to grow until the legislature follows
the constitution and makes an outlet for
its use through state highway commits
sion There is only about $4,000 annually
accruing to this fund from an old internal
improvement land fund. The present leg
islature has the alternative of electing
the excellent bill prepared by Messrs.
Johnson and Underleak, or of delaying
the passage of such a bill for two years
The presence of this fund, and of the con-
stitutional provision that it can be dis
tributed only through a state highway
commission, will surely bring forward
the law originally intended by the friends
of the constitutional amendment.
The sum of $4,000 annually is too small
sum to place in the commissions hands
to be doled out to eighty-two counties.
and no legislature would think of pro-
Yiding with a state. commission without
leYying the additional one-twentieth of
a mill tax provided for in the constitu-
honal amendment. The fact that the con-
stitution makes it impossible to use more
than one-third of the road and bridge
fund available for bridges, places only
$4,000 of the present fund open for that
use. This would supply only few of
the requirements Of the half hundred spe
cial bridge bills introduced in the present
= legislature. A one-twentieth of mill
tax would add $4,000 to the state road
and bridge fund, making it about SAC, 600
annually. Of this, one-third, SIS, 900, would
be available for bridges. Those localities
wishing bridges could ap1AY to the state
highway commission, L Ihis bill were
passed, and have three times as much
money to draw upon as if the one-twen-
tieth of mill tax were not levied.
The provisions of the bill as introduced
are clear, easily understood and compre-
hensive. Practically a state commission
Will employ secretary to aid them in
distributing the $4,000 annually and to
serve as state highway instructor His
duties will be mainly to assist boards of
county commissioners and county survey
ors in solving their local problems in
highway Improvement Since the state
commissioners must work without pay,
and the constitution arranges for a. gen.
eral and equable distribution Of the fund
to all the counties, there is assurance
that the men appointed will rank high,
as do the members of the other boards in
the state. This is not local board, nor
will it control a local institution. 1t will
operate for all counties and will be as
general as state board of control. The
law does not contemplate that the state
commission will coerce the boards of
SS-A'@-AA9@AOilS1Ss II Will ala CHeIn,
and, with the influence of larger or small
er allotments of the state highway fund,
1t will encourage good planning and good
construction work, and will discourage
poor plans and dishonest or poor work.
During times when the commissions
secretary is not occupied in visiting and
instructing the county commissioners and
their local engineers, he can be employed
III searching for and testing the various
available good roads materials found In
tho state. Whenever any county expert
ments with any new method of
making roads, bridges Or culYerts he
will be consulted, and can be on hand
to learn of the results He will soon
learn which plans best succeed. and can
give to each county he visits the best that
has been found anywhere in the state
From the experiences in this state and
that gathered from other states he can
wriie reports which Will be of value to
every road official in the state. In CO.
operation with tt.e school of agriculture