Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1909-10-14
HIGHWAY DIVISION
/. Of PUBLIC ROADS
First Biennial Report by W. 0.
Hotchkiss put up in a Neat
Pamphlet of 100 Pages.

dHpnl6I OF lUU RACES.
Road pamphlet number 5, has been
received at this office. 1t consists
OF 100 pages of excellent matter on
the subject of Roadways and how
to build them and keep them up.
Every person who wants a copy
can secure it by addressing the
Highway Division at Madison and
enclosing cents in stamps. We ap-
pend an article taken from said pam
phlet on the Forms of Commission
that Is under discussion at the pres
ent time for State Legislature:
Form of Commission.
tions to be considered in framing
state aid law that will work success
fully is the form of the state COM
mission or body that has general
control of the work. The importance
of this point lies entirely in whether
or not the state highway work is to
be controlled by political consider
ations with the resulting inefficieney
of the actual road building, or wheth-
er it is to be controlled entirely in
the interest of efficient road work
without regard to political consider
ations. OF course no one would have
the temerity to say anything else
than that this work must be kept
out of politics. But there is greater
danger that political influences may
creep in as they have in so many
states under the guise of cheapness
or efficiency of administration. For
this reason the following statements
deserve particular attention from
everyone interested in the success
of the state aid movement.
A study of the laws of the various
states reveals the fact that there
are four distinct plans for the control
of the state highway department..
The First is one state highway
commissioner or engineer appointed
by the governor for a definite term
of years. Five states have this plan.
The Second is commission of
three men paid for their full time
and appointed by the governor for
definite term of office. Two or
three states have this type of board.
The Third is a commission appoint
ed by the governor for a definite
term of office, but serving without
pay and giving only general direction
to the work, which is under the ac-
tive direction of a state engineer
selected and hired by them, for a
period coincident with satisfactory
service. This and the fourth method
are analogous to a business corpora
tlon with its board of unsalaried di-
rectors and the general manager car
rying out the details of the general
policies laid down by them Six states
have boards of this kind. These
states get able men of wide expert
ence and good business ability to
serve o n their commissions. The
president of the Great Northern rail
road is president Of the Minnesota
highway commission and cheerfully
pays fare on his own railroad be-
cause, as a state official, he cannot
ride on pass. I would hesitate to
say that Wisconsin has no men of
this sort available for a highway com
mission
The Fourth is an ex-officio board
such as is recommended in a model
state aid bill by the United States
Office of Public Roads for the par
tIcular purpose Of avoiding politics
in the state aid work The bill makes
the professors of civil engineering
in three different colleges members
OF the state highway board by virtue
of their position. Such a commission
maintains its existence without re-
gard to what particular man holds
one of these professorships. 1t need
not be made in this way, however,
but could be composed of the hold
ers of any non-political positions
either in state employ or otherwise,
and the same freedom from politics
enjoyed. The Wisconsin geological
survey commission, which has charge
of the present state road work is an
ex-officio board of this character.
Seven states have this form of
commission. In no one of them;
so far as information is available
has politics become a factor in the
state road work, but the same, un-
fortunately, cannot be said of states
having other forms of commissions.
1t does not take an expert in poll
tics to see which of these four forms
of commission is least susceptible to
ordinary political influences.
WEEKLY REPORTER ST A YEAR.