The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1910-03-31
SENATOR LEE AFTER
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Would Change The System of Build
ing the Roads

Senator Lee of Montgomery has
prepared another roads bill to
supplement the one introduced by
him in the Senate last week, and
one which is even a more severe
attack upon the State Geological
Survey than the first. 1t provides
that in the case of a vacancy or
vacancies occurring in the State
Roads Commission, the Governor
is authorized to fill these vacan-
cies by the appointment of two
new members, who will be paid
salary Of So 900 a year and will
be required to devote all their
time to the-oad work.
The bill is so worded as to
make it plain that the vacancies
referred to are those positions at
present filled by the two members
of the State Geological survey.
Under the law creating the State
Roads Commission the Governor
was required to appoint two men,
bers from the Geological Survey,
and they were to serve without
pay. These two members ap-
pointed were DR.. William Bullock
Clark and DR.. Ira Remsen. Sen
ator Lee, it would appear from
this bill, is after the scalp of those
two eminent gentlemen. One of
his principal contentious is that
they leave the State during the
summer months, when the work
of road building is most active,
and, therefore, exercise no super
vision when supervision is most
needed. Senator Lee wants men
who are "on the job all the
time.
The Senator from Montgomery
has prepared a mass of statistics
and material concerning the build
ing of roads in his county which
constitutes a prima facle case of
great severity against the GeOlog
ical Surveys work. His most
striking exhibit is a series of
photographs showing the condl-
ton of roads built by the Survey
under Engineer W, W. Crosby as
contrasted with roads built by the
county itself. Mr.. Lee says that
they are perfectly fair representa-
tions of the two kinds of Construc-
ton; that, in fact, he ordered the
photographer to reproduce the
worst parts of the county roads
and fair specimens of the Survey :
roads. The photographs show
the county roads to be excellent
sections of smoothly leveled high.
ways, while the Surveys roads
are filled with holes and ruts and
awkward places. The Blair road
the Bladensburg road, the Lay
louisville road and the Kensingtor
road are some of those offered il
evidence.
But the condition of the roads
is only one count in the indlCt.
ment against the Survey. The
county roads, Senator Lee con.
tends, have cost only about one.
half as much as those built by the
Survey, and their cost of mainte-
nance is far less. The Survey
roads have been built under the
Shoemaker act. by which the
State pays one-half the cost and
the county the other half. Sc
costly are the Survey roads, SAYS
Mr.. Lee, and 50 poor their con.
struction that the county prefers
to build its roads entirely at It's
own expense-and saves money
by so doing. The average cost Of
the roads built by the county j,
from 81, 900 to S. 900 a mile; the
average cost of the SURVEYS roads
is from $4,000 TO $1,000. And
the cost of maintenance of the
county roads is less
The trouble with the Crosby
roads, according to the Montgom.
cry people, lies chiefly with the
drainage, Where there is sandy
subsoil, it appears, as is the case
on the Eastern Shore where the
Crosby roads have met with much
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