Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1902-02-27
SAINT NltIl 5 Beacon,
WHY OUR ROADS AsE 50 BAD.
iron, Baltimore Egeniaq Ne,os

land WIN the NOfSb III bnlS DTOdn
land has been tle practice of putting
certain sections Of the country in
charge OF road supervisors and dis
tributing what money was to be ex-
pended for the construction and inn
provemeat of roads among them.
These men have been political APP
pointees, they have changed with
each election, and the forces at work
under their charge have changed
with them moreover, they usually
have been impressed with the idea
that they must make as greata show
for the money spent as possible, and
consequently they have used their
allotment in themaking of superficial
repairs, covering lot Of ground
repairs so inadequate that all traces
of them have, as a rule, been swept
away before the next season was
ended. When the Highway Division
of the Maryland Geological Survey
was formed and began its work, it
found that a large proportion OF the
money spent on the improvement of
roads was wasted because Of this
practice; and the second report Of
the officers of that Division, now be
ing issued, calls attention to the
fact that this evil has not been RENE
died. The roads, according to the
report, soon-retlrn to their former
bad condition, whereas if the efforts
had been concentrated on making
proper improvements to the worst
sections OF the different roads the
result would have been a perma
nent bcttermeut
The evil Of cntrusting this work
wholly to The road supervisors has
been recognized, and an attempt
made IN some counties TO correct the
trouble by placing all road work in
charge of the county commissioners
This system, however, IS also in
effective, owing 20 the fact that the
commissioners themselves, while
often men OF high standing and IN.
telligence, have never received any
special training FOR the work Of road
building and maintenance, and are
not familiar with the many tccbnica.
factors that detcrmine theusefulness
and iiIc OF arOad bed These things
he IN the province OF the expert road
engineer, aud the importance OF uti-
lang expert knowledge IN the con
struction aud rtpair Of highways
cannot be oVeresiimated. There IS
now littie excuse for the failure to
recognize TINS iati IN Maryland, Tor
not only has the old idea that any
man IS good enough toraroad super.
visor been exploded by the expert
ence OF road-builders in other States
ana IN other countries, but the work
OF our own Geological Survey in the
three years oI It's existence has
shown concIusiTely the value OF ex-
pert assistance The roads that
have been built and repaired ac-
cordihg to the plans aud under the
supervision OF the officers Of the
highway DIVISION OF the Survey
have proved tleir superiority to the
ROADS constructed without those
plans and that supervision, and
Marylanders lave been given an in
sight INTO the construction OF useful
highways. Ihc Survey officers are
ready toassist county commissioners
and supervisors so far as the means
at their dispose. allow, and no work
OF Importance on roads should be
commenced without their advice,
nor should their advice be disre.
garded without very evident reasons
therefor
This matter rs one OF Importance
just at this time, because the work
OF the road engineer OF Baltimore