Los Angeles herald., 1907-06-11
COMMISSION NOT
YET APPOINTED
GOOD ROADS OFFICIALS ARE IN
DOUBT
List of Names Presented to Super
Visors Not FavorabIy Impressive
to County offlciaIs-secre-
taryship Rich Plum

Trouble over the appointment of a
county road commission is not yet at
an end. In fact it is just beginning.
The list of candidates submitted to the
county supervisors yesterday by the
Good Roads association has by no
means cleared up the difficulty. Today
one man on that list seems reasonably
certain Of selection. He is w. L. Green
of Pasadena. Beyond this the appoint
ments still are in the air, though it is
practically certain that one, IL not two
Of the commissioners, will be men
whose names were not given favorable
consideration either by the Good Roads
association, the chamber of commerce,
Merchants and Manufacturers associa-
tion or Municipal league.
When the supervisors received the
good roads list they promptly filed the
communication without comment. After
adjournment, however, they did not
hesitate to say that the list was not
exactly what they had expected. Prob
ably Chairman Patterson expressed the
views of majority of his colleagues
when he said that to him the men sug
gested appeared to be admirable gen.
tlemen, but, for the most part, without
practical experience along the lines of
road building. Objection was made
the men suggested had been known in
the past chiefly for their activity in
politics. The Supervisors profess their
determination to keep the road COM
mission out of politics. That may seem
like joke, but that is what they say.
w. L. Green, the one man who seems
certain of a place, has been closely
identified with good roads for several
years, even before the Good Roads as
sociation came into existence. He comes
within the requirement of practicality
that the supervisors desire to establish.
Moreover, he has been indorsed not
only by the association, but by all
three of the semi-public organizations.
OF the other men similarly indorsed,
neither Mr.. Story nor Mr.. Bixby is
thought to have any show for the place.
In all probability if another man Is
selected from the list of eight sub
mitted, Frank w. King of Los Angeles
will get the plum. 1t is more likely,
however, that the supervisors will go
outside the list for both appointments.
The matter of a secretary to the
commission is also causing considerable
speculation. In fact, the secretaryship
is the richest plum of them all, for the
salary of the commissioners is fixed at
$5 day for the time actually expended
on county work, while the secretary
will be able to draw down whatever
sum the board allows him; certainly
$3.50 monthly and probably 5000.
The secretary also should be a "prac-
tical" man. That is to say, practical
road builder, not necessarily a practical
politician. He should be more or less
familiar with the roads of the county
and with the needs for new highways,
and it is hinted that such man as is
desired probably can be found in no
other place than among the ranks of
those men who have already been en-
ployed in such official capacity as would
make them familiar with these points.
Once the commission is appointed it
will have charge of all the main roads,
while the supervisors will retain con-
troll over the laterals or byways. Thus
the supervisors feel that the commits
sioners should be men with whom they
can wor,; in complete harmony, as the
duties of the two bodies will necessarily
bring them into close touch with each
other
Funds now devoted to the care Of all
roads in the county will, after the
bonds are voted, be used upon the later
ais; while the bond money will be de-
voted to the highways. 1t will take
many months, however, for the COM
mission so far to complete its plans as
to make bond election necessary.