The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1907-08-08
rHE aoop RoApS PIN.

THE GOOD ROADS PLAN.
There win soon be at the disposal
Of Highway Commissioner Macdonald
the neat sum of $4,50O,OOO for the i'm
provement Of the roads of the State.
The legislature authorized bond issue
t. provide the money and Governor
Woodruff signed the act. AS soon as
possible the bonds will be offered in
the market and then the wheels will
begin to move,
In an interview the other day with
an inqulsitive newspaper reporter Com
missioner Macdonald spread a thin
veneer of gloom over the enthusiasts
in behalf of good roads by announcing
that as in the past so In the future
the initiative Of the one hundred and
sixty-eight towns of the State Is neces-
sary to any improvement he may make
In the roads Of the State. That Is to
say the expenditure of these millions,
which were certainly appropriated
from the publlc's point Of view for
scientific improvement of the highways
of the State, depends upon the wishes
of town officials with q few town
meetings thrown in. The Hartford
Courant rightly argues that there
should be zone head to plan all this,
not the variegated wisdom Of 1853
towns" but that is something the leg
islature did not attempt to plan for If
1t had the power to do so. The sltua-
ticn recalls the belated information
that the bucketshop bill which does
not go into effect until July I, 1908,
was delayed in its enforcement to give
these a chance to recoup their losses
who were caught in that miserable
gemhling game. 1t is only another IL
lustration of the inefflciency of the
General Assembly which let its emo
items, reinforced by others who wanted
finger in the bond issue, get the bet
ter of its judgment
AS we have said, 1t was the popular
notion that the highway commissioner
would by means of the bond Issue be
in position where his we'll known
abilities as a road maker would have
full play. Now that 1t is seen that they
car find play only as inexpert judy
ment may determine the question
arises would the popular judgment
have approved the bond issue had 1t
understood the conditions under which
the money is to be expended? We doubt
it. for the reason that the very assur-
ance that was required to make GER
tain the intelligent expenditure of the
money is lacking. The criticism which
the goods roads movement has been
subjected to has been provoked by the
III reasonabieness of selectmen in in
sisting upon their personal views Of
the needs to be gratified. Those same
officials now may block the use to
which this bond issue was TO be put, OF
II not blocking 1t may to a definite
extent modify the advantage supposed
to be enjoyed. We are not sure, how
ever, that the General Assembly has
the power to impose its views upor
the towns OF the State. It certainly
has not If 1t Is true that the Connects
cut town is the boss Of the State
which was the view of former Chic
Justice Andrews.
In view of the statement made By
mmlssioner Macdonald, 1t Is to be re.
GREETED that the General Assembly die
not more thoroughly consider the mat
ter in all of its aspects. The Couran'
is entirely right in it's assertion: "Tht
| more the responsibility Is split up thu
, less there will be of 1t, and the great
er the chance of making a mess of {
J good thing"