Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1906-01-11
WAR ON HIGHWAY EXPENSE.
TAXPAYERS ASSOCIATION LIS
TENS TO FACTS.
Engineers Crosby And Uhler And
Mr.. James w. Owens
Utter Words of
Wisdom.
ANNE ARUNDEL R0 ADS COST
ENTIRELY TOO MUCH.

ENTIRELY TOO MUCH.
The meeting OF the Taxpayers AS
sociation ofAnne Arundel county, held
this morning in the Court House, was
of more than usual interest. owing to
the presence and tie advice of Chief
Engineer Walter w. Crosby, of the
Highway Division of the MARYLAND
Geological Survey. and Captain Uhler.
road engineer of Caroline county.
The remarkable contrast drawn by
Captain Uhler viii be Of especial in
terest to the people of Annapolis and
of Anne Arundel by reason of the fact
thatt it was shown that in Caroline
county, under the workings of the
law, enacted in 1904. ard by which
the proposed law for this county will
be patterned, 6I0 miles of roads are
already in better physical condition
than are the $40 miles in this county,
and of less than one-fourth the ex-
pense. The Caroline system seems to
be little more than the application of
good modern business methods, in.
Guiding the card system. to the work
ing of highways. The proposed law
is that an engineer shall be appointed
to haze charge of and be responsible
expenditure of public moneys for
that purpose.
Mr.. Crosby, in opening his remarks,
after introduction BY President Geo.
t. Melvin, of the Association, stated
that two methods of securing good
roads are available, although in his
opinion both rest absolu tely in the
vesting of road authority and espeo-
tally the handling of road money in
the hands of competent engineer !;
the first method is the utilization of
funds already provided, the second
the increasing of available moneys by
the issuance of bonds. The only
difference, he stated, in result is that
the second provides good roads more
quickly and partially at the expense of
the coming generation, which Will
also enjoy the benefits. Arguing the
advantages derived from the engineer
and defining his duties, Mr.. Crosby
explained that to this official falls the
work of examining all bills, which is
an infinitely better arrangement than
having them go to busy county com.
missioners: in fact Mr.. Crosby said,
that road bills being by far the most
difficult and tedious of all bills to
audit, the onaHces were very good
that in carefully attending TO this
part of his work alone, the engineer
would more than save his salary Mr.
Crosby stated that he knew this 10
have been so during his first month as
a road enigneer. This feature, too,
he said, had been found specially prac-
cal in actual work in Prince Georges,
Caroline, Baltimore and Allegany
counties.
Mr. Crosby went on to point out
the advantages Of the direct placing
of responsibility, and of the ease with
which q competent engineer is enabled
TO make use Of the successful out
come of experiments elsewhere He
dwelt on the necessity of beginning
permanent work rather than a coninu-
alton of the old pouring money in a
rat. hole stem, where, by the time
the fourth mile shas been completed,
the first is again to be done over. BY
means of an engineer, he said that a
county might easily do permanent
work for what it now expends in tenn
porary construction.
In reply to questions by President
Melvin, Messrs. Fl. s. Mancha, Garner,
Fate and others, Mr.. Crosby gave
some data with reference to the life
of permanent roads, the State Aid to
Roads law. Anne Arundel road mater
ials and the merits and dement's of
sand clay and clay sand roads.
Captain Uhler was next introduced
and explained in detail the system in
Caroline. By the close application
of tt4s business methods already
mentioned as in force in that
county, Caroline has been enabled to
do for $S, 900 work that has hitherto
been done at an expense of frem
$l3, 600 mp. This fact was brought
out from his report, which showed
thas the cost of the roads last year un-
der his supervision had been $40.
| 961. Sc which includes Imore than
50, 800 worth of supplies now on hand,
| as against a previous expenditure oi
between $13, 900 and $l4, 600.
Mr. Mancha asked about the plow-
| ing of a section of road with which
he was evidently familiar in Caroline
county, and Captain IJhler explained
that this was done because the road
had worn into a rutty drain, with
the middle entirely too low. BY EN-
| ploying a special road plow and from
| eight to twelve mules this section oi
Highway was plowed mp and narrowed
and then rolled down into a fine arc
new road at an expense of about S2l
| the same process having been applied
| TO one of the streets of Denton with
| somewhat the same result
Captain Uhler was further ques
/ toned aud contributed interesting in
formation regading mules as roae
| drangbt animals in lieu Of horses. conn
| tyownership of them, the use of scrapeT
and what, in his opinion, WOULD b
the saving to this county effected h,
the passage of bill similar TO the
| Caroline law. He thought this shOul'
be at least $12, 600, but referred tn
Association to his report on the COS
of maintaining the 6i0 miles of roa
in his county in far better condition
than are those of Anne Arundel an
which Mr. Melvin states to be q
about one-fourth the expense
After President Melvin first intro
duced Mr.. Crosby but before he coul
be heard, however, Mr.. James "
| Owens, counsel to the Board of Coun
ty Comm igsioners, took the floor. ez
planning that a business engagemeI
made it impossible for him to be pres
| ent longer than a few minutes an
that he had few suggestions TO offel
He proceeded to offer them. NJ
Owens suggested the bonding pla
for the building of roads, the erectio
of iron bridges instead of wood whic
lasted, he said, four times as long