Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1905-03-21
An ENTHUSIASTIC MEETING.
TAXPAYERS ASSOCIATION
LARGELY ATTENDED.
Able Address BY Mr.. A N. John
son, State Road Engineer
Before The AsSo-
cfatIon.

tion since its organization was that
held in the Circuit Court room this
morning.
The attendance was larger than ever
before and the interest taken in the
various papers and reports were ex-
ceedingly gratifying TO the members.
Most of the affiliated locals of the
county were well represented and
stated the proceedings of the last
meeting of their respective local. Ow-
ing TO the absence of Mr.. Boswell,
Mr.. II. L. Shipley acted as secretary
The reading of the minutes of the
preceding meeting were dispensed
with and Mr. A. N. Johnson, State
Highway Engineer. discussed the
question of "Do We Need a New
County Road Law and What Shall be
Its Main Features. He spoke in
part as follows
"You are all familiar with the old
saying that the proof of the pudding is
the eating, and in like manner we
may say that the proof of your road
management is the roads. Under the
present method of administration your
road funds have your roads gradually
improved ? Have they improved a
dollars worth for every dollar that
has been spent upon them ? Has the
work been done in an intelligent man
ner Has a comprehensive scheme
for road improvement in your county
been adopted and carried out
''It has been my duy in the past six
years TO come in contact with and
know about the road conditions in
every county in the state. and do not
hesitate to say that these things have
not been done. What are the facts
In the past fifteen years you taxpay-
ers of Anne Arundel county have ex-
pended on your roads about $500, 600.
1t is a liberal estimate to say that
one-half of this sum would have been
sufficient for all necessary repairs
which were absolutely needed to keep
the roads in a safe condition. The
other half should have been expended
in making good macadam roads. If
this had been done during the last fif-
teen years you would have spent about
1916, 600 on well made roads. If we
put the average cost of a good ma
cadam road at comparatively high
figure, say $6, 900 per mile for IL feet
macadam, you would have built in the
last fifteen years not less than AS
miles of good roads But 46 miles of
good macadam roads have not been
made in the last fifteen years in Anne
Arundel county or in scarcely any
other county in the state.
"Some of yOu NAV contend that
good roads will be long time COM
ing at the rate of as miles in fifteen
that it is a little faster than the
fn nF Vaf
l would like TO speak about is prob
ably not unknown to you. No matter
how good law you may devise, if
the road business of your county is to
be conducted as part and parcel of
petty county politics you need expect
but little good to result. But, how
ever enthusiastic any of us may be as
regards road reform it would be folly
under our system of government TO
expect to eliminate entirely any pub
lie business from politics. In this
question of road improvement, how
ever, there seems to be bright side,
and that is the shrewdest are finding
out that it is good politics to build
good roads.
Experience both in Anne Arundel
and in other counties has proved that
the results you wish have never been
obtained under existing laws, so that
it is fair to presume that they are
not suitable and that the road bust
ness of your county needs new rules
and regulations for its proper conduct.
Let us take up now in some detail
the changes that may be necessary in
your present road law to bring about
the results that you all wish. l do
not presume that it is necessary for
me to review your present volumi-
nous road law, one-half of which could
probably be dispensed with and the
other half found to be of not much
practical value. Like the majority of
county road laws it does not provide
for an economic and business like ad-
ministration of the road funds.
'There should be a Department of
Roads or Board of Road Commission
ers, having general control over all
road funds; q road engineer who
should hold his Office during good be-
havior, who should have charge of all
construction and repairs to the roads,
and also entire control of all road
gangs The county should be divided
into road districts, the roads in each
district named and classified in sim
liar manner to that now provided by
your present road law. Each road
district should have q supervisor or
superintendent, who should give his
time throughout the year TO road
work. Under the superintendent
should be a road gang who should
work the entire district and become,
in a short time, corps of trained
road members.
1.-The roads engineer should keep
itemized accounts, so that it will be
possible to tell exactly how much was
spent for labor and for gmaterials and
on what jobs the money was spent.
With such q law enacted and enforced
with proper spirit there is no reason
why Anne Arundel or any other coun-
" should not get dollars worth of
work for every dollar of taxes raised
for road purposes.
At the conclusion of his address
Mr.. johnson requested that questions
be asked by him with reference to
roads. He was asked by Mr.. Wathen
what he would designate as a good
road. He replied that first and pri-
marily he would state that as few
grades as possible should be had and
that Stag, she'll, macadam or other
material as it was most available for
the work He stated that he was of
the opinion that the present shell
roads were not giving the county the
service they should. In his opinion q
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