The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1907-12-27
A PUBLIC ROAD ENGINEER.


We have been more than gratihed
by the kindly recognition of our dis
cussion of the road question Of last
week; it seemed to US to be both fair
and timely to discuss existing con.
ditions before looking too far ahead
for possible Improvement. We are
firmly convinced that the public will
be given as good service as they
want and they will help to create and
support; we therefore hope that
through our columns or otherwise
they will do their share towards
creating a healthy public demand on
this all-important subject.
In the conduct of every large bust
ness enterprise, suitable head for
it's conception, organization and
management is the most important
prerequisite. No factoryis equipped
or run without an expert manager
at it's head, no mine opened or rail-
road built without an expert engineer
to locate and develop the same
through every step of its progress.
Just so in public life, where special
knowledge is needed a skilled head
to inpart that knowledge must be
secured,
Who would expect a corps of COM
petent teachers could be secured for
our schools if we did not place skill
ed superintendent at the head of the
system to act as their professional
adviser and assistant? We need no
more expect our roads to be intelli-
gently handled unless suitable
party is placed at their head to super
wise the system and instruct his help
ers. Road-building and maintain
ance is a science founded on we'll
established principles which, ifviola-
ted, must result in poor results at an
extravaganza cost.
For instance, a few years ago ma
cadam roads were built on the
pattern of sieve to allow the free
passage of water to the bottom; but
today it is known that they should
act as roof to shed the water, and
much of our former work fell into
early decay because of this costly
ignorance.
The proposition to create the office
of County Engineer is not advanced
with the desire of creating an Office,
but of saving dollars and getting
results. On an average probably all
of $4,000 is annually expended on
our roads, and there are critics who
do not hesitate to say that we do
not realize fifty cents on the dollar
in it's expenditure. We will not at
tempt to fix this per cent. but are
satisfied all will agree that consider
able money is improvidently used.
If we take only four PEI cent. of this
amount it will pay the salary of a
supervising engineer, and we believe
that this much could be easily saved
in salaries now being paid. Wehave
never found, however, that people
object to paying money we'll earned,
and we are satisfied that the engi- |
neer's salary in it's return would be
the most profitable part of the road
tax.
Our sister county, Baltimore, took
this important step some years ago,
secured a capable man by appoint
ment of the Governor, and gradually
the opposition ofthe petty politician
who could no longer run roads to
suit himself was overcome; now not
a corporaps guard would abandon
the office if they could
The time has fully come for posi-
tive forward movement for the better
ment of our public road system or
we will fall behind the rest of the
state in its onward strides; let US
lead them rather than reluctantly
follow in their wake.