The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1905-03-23
HIGHWAY ENGINEERS.
The Necessity OF Employing Them in
Road Building.

Road Building.
The condition of the highways Is an
index of the progressiveness of the
people. In addition to the Importance
of shortening distance by bringing
the buyer and seller closer together
and thus giving to the farmer a more
available market for his produce,
good roads help on to wonderful de-
gree the social and educational ad-
Yancement of the rural district.
The doctrine of good roads has been
thoroughly preached, and their add
vantages seem to be so thoroughly
recognized throughout the entire
country that public sentiment is I'M
animOuslY in favor of road reform,
writes Colonel Albert Pope in GOOD
Roads HdgdziHe. This is true even
among the people of smaller towns
and rural districts. where they are
awakening to the realization of the
direct bearing of good roads on bust
ness prosperity.
The question that confronts us to-
day is not shall we have good roads,
but What is the best way to secure
them?n 1t must be conceded that an
initiative step is to give up every
where the time worn and perniciOns
system of working out a road tax. In
many communities a direct road tax
has been substituted, the procee DIS
of which are expended on the high
ways under the supervision of experts.
The subject Of state and national
highways has been broadly discussed
and generally approved, though there
is still a mooted point as to how much
the general government shall furnish,
how much the state shall pay and
and what proportion of the expense
shall be borne by the counties and
townships.
believe the counties and towns
should meet practically half the ex-
pense of construction and that the
state should own the road when com
pleted. While Massachusetts has APP
propriated liberal sums for this i'm
portant work, it would be financial
investment to increase this expendi-
ture on this plan, because many re-
gions willing to stand their proper
part of the expense cannot under the
present arrangement get a part of
the appropriation and others cam OF
get enough.
To have good roads we must have
skilled road engineers. Therefore the
first step to be taken by any cOmmun-
ity should be to secure the services of
trained men, under whose guidance
new roadways would be constructed
and both old and new kept in repair.
The work accomplished by Massa-
chusetts has attracted great deal of
attention because of the system at
tanned under the system adopted by
that state. Work on the highways is
always supervised by skilled men.
Sections of state roads have been
built in all parts of the commonwealth
with the idea of practically demon
strating to the people in the different
localities the best methods to be pur-
sued in the building and maintain
ance of good roads, and of late the
work has been to connect these sec
tious and thus complete through
roads. This plan has worked success
fully in that it has by these object les
sons interested towns and counties TO
follow the example of the state high
way commission in extending good
roads. In many instances smaller
townships have purchased and are
working stone crushing plants and
such other machinery as is necessary
to keep their highways in proper con-
dition.
The leading educational institu-
tions of the country have recognized
the importance of this question, and
many have put into their curriculum
a special coures in road engineering.
If | were living in a community whose
interests demanded the Improvement
of the highways l would urge the pa
ramount Importance of getting hold
of skilled men. Under them there
should be made a careful Topographic
cal survey of the region to be improv-
ed and its available road materials
located and tested. With this pre-
liminary task acc omplished the work
of the road building can be success
fully and economically pushed.