The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1906-01-19
TO AMEND THE LAW.

On Monday, the County Commis-
sioners decided to send communl-
cation to each of the county boards
of the State, asking cooperation on
plan that they propose to submit,
respecting the amendment to the
Shoemaker road law. Their circular
letter suggests that the several coun-
ties be given the right to name the
amounts that they are willing to ex-
pend on permanent roads, and re-
quire the state engineer to limit the
estimates to this amount; however,
should the actual cost exceed the es-
innate, the State to be required to
pay one-half of such excess.
The board also directed its attor-
ncy, Mr.. w. w. Preston, to draft
amendments to the law looking to
its Improvement, which we think
will meet the case. The first amend
ment proposes that in places where
land is not assessed at more than
$50 an acre, the county commission
ers may require the road engineer
not to reduce the grade on the i'm
provement lower than 6 per cent.
grade. The experience of the county
commissioners has been that grad
ing was one of the most expensive
items, and they feel that their fnan-
c;al status does not allow the same
levelling of road-beds as that re-
quired' by suburban Baltimore,
where land is much more valuable.
We think that this amendment will
be appreciated by everyone, as it
does not disturb existing conditions,
except when the county commission
ers so direct.
Another important amendment
prepared by Mr.. Preston is that
when there is no bid within the esti-
mate of the proposed improvement,
the county commissioners shall have
the right to proceed with the work
on their own account, and when the
expense of the work so done shall
equal the estimate made by the
state road engineer, the county COM
missioners shall then be entitled to
receive one-half of said estimate, and
are not required to proceed further
towards the completion of the work.
This would give the county commits
sioners absolute control of the ex-
pense and get state aid, thus success
fully obviating the sweeping objec-
ton to provision requiring the
State to pay one-half of the cost
without fixing any definite amount.
There should be no disposition to
c-iticise the commissioners in the
stand that they have taken. There
should be no spirit of antagonism
shown the state road engineer. Co.
operation between the general and
local authorities is absolutely neces-
sary, and the olive branch Of peace
should always be in evidence when
ever the two interests seem to clash.
We want good roads, and state aid
in making them. The only points of
variance are regarding the details to
get this result.
The Shoemaker road law has
much to commend it in excellence.
We doubt if there could have been
any single act made more compre-
hensive. The desire of Harford's citi-
zens is that its elasticity should be
pliable to the extent of giving the To-
cal authorities little more say re-
garding the expenditure of the coun-
tvs money If the State insists on
the position of controlling the build
ing of the road, thus superseding To-
cal authorities, then it should be
willing to 1T the local boards of
county commissioners bear one-half
of the estimated expense, and it foot
the bill for the balance. Certainly it
is no more than fair that the party
who has "the bag to hold" ought to
have some say about its contents.
RELIGION BROADENING.