Los Angeles herald., 1910-09-20
CHARGE POLITICS
DELAYS HIGHWAYS
Good Roads Committee Accuses
Commission of Entering
EntangIing Alliances
MORE SALARY FOR ENGINEER
George Pearson Objects to Rec
ommendation That ReSigna-
tions Be Submitted Now
Continued from Page one)

CONTINUED from Page One)
ION that in order to arrive at a complete
understanding as to the present situation
of the highway improvement and the ef-
dciency of the commission and its en-
ployes It would be necessary to investigate
fully the organization of the highway oom-
mission, the pledging of the county for
the bonds for the highways and all mat
ters leading up to the present date, from
the time of the inception of the good
roads movement.
FRICTION ARISES
AS the result of such Investigations your
committee finds that the advisory COM
mittee was appointed by your honorable
body, and that in spite of the assumption
bv them of their duty TO cooperate with
YOU, great deal of unnecessary friction
and unseemly controversy has arlsen'
growing, to some extent out of the opin-
ion formed by some members of your
honorable body that the advisory com
mittee was assuming a dictatorial atti-
tude toward you.
We beg to hereby remind you that the
advisory committee is entitled to the ever
lasting gratitude of the taxpayers Of t4is
county by promptly correcting a very Sc
rious blunder of the board of supervisors
in undertaking to sell all of the bonds at
one time at a price below their market
value bv which act alone the advisory
committee saved the county of Los An
geles several hundred thousand dollars
There has been an earnest desire on tho
part of the advisory committee to achieve
the best results in the expenditure or TINS
money by urging you to take heed in the
selection of your highway commissioners
and bv various other suggestions looking
IN the advancement of the work, but, ap-
parently the breach has been widening
continuously until it can be practically
said that the advisory committee mas
for sometime past, ceased to discharge
the functions for whicn it was originally
intended and has really assumed the po-
sition of an inquisitorial board.
CHIEF ENGINEER CRITICIZED
It is in this attitude that the advisory
committee has presented its case TO our
committee and we have therefore been
greatly astonished in analyzing the tes-
timony of the advisory committee and us
experts to find that the burden Of their
charges, as to ineffciency, is directed very
largely against the chief engineer OF the
highway commission, and any criticism OF
the chief engineer is per Sc criticism OF
the highway commission, since the o1lce
of chief engineer is not recognized IN the
Even II II were 50 ItCoBlAlASNf e@AN
evidence before the committee indicates
that the chief engineers duties were never
speeihcaIly defined by a vote of the high
vav commission and but for the evidence
submitted to the committee it might De
presumed that he merely proceeded from
dav to day doing the bidding of the COM
missioners. He did, however, advise the
commission from time to time and on his
recommendations depended largely the
character of the work done and the meth
DDS of doing it, and he did serve as the
chief executive officer of the COMMISSION
A still more remarkable and astonishing
fact appears from the record disclosed IN
this proceeding, and that is that this
chief engineer was originally suggested
Nv the advisory committee to the highway
commission, who accepted him in no unan-
imous or enthusiastic way and finally rec
ommended him to the board of super
visors, who approved the recommendation
of the highway commission.
COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE
Therefore. if there has been any mis-
management or any inefflciency in the
conduct of the main highway improvement
nv reason of the employment of the pres
ent chief engineer, then the advisory COM
mittee is primarily responsible FOR such
mistake and the highway commission ana
board of supervisors are blameable only SO
FAR as they have accepted such recon-
mendations and retained him IN office.
Your committee desires to express It's
admiration for the poise, self-resuaint and
professional conduct which have character
lied the attitude Of the chief engineer
under the severe and almost pitiless crit
lcism to which his work has been sub
iected. We have gone carefully into his
qualifications and his management of the
york. AS to his qualifications at the tlme
he was first employed to take up this
work. we find that his academic educatloh
and experience were the very best But
mis- experience in executive work on large
scale. such as the work in question, was
very limited The circumstances attend
ing his appointment are related IN de-
tail in the appendix. While We do not
ulace the responsibility for delays on the
chief engineer, we are Of opinion that
man of more experience in executive work
should have been employed
LODER BONE OF CONTENTION
The only difference between the attitude
of the highway commission and the ad-
visory committee at the present time con
cerning the chief engineer is that the
highway commission stands unqualihedly
IN support of Mr.. Loder, whereas the ad-
VisOry committee DelleNeS lidl he lS i'"t
big enough to hold the position. 1t Is the
Judgment of your committee, however, thaI
Mr.. Ioder is at this time, owing to the
very experience he has had as chief ensi-
neer for the highway commission pelter
6tted to discharge his duties as such than
ever he was before. His experience as
chief engineer, acquired at some cost to
the county, has qualified him in many ways
to continue In the discharge of his duties
and there would be considerable difficulty
IN finding a man competent to take ms
place.
However, your committee believes that
the situation in the chief engineers OF
nee is not altogether satisfactory now
But the chief engineer has the work wei
iu hand at this time. The cost estimates
of Mr. LoGer we find to be accurate with
in very reasonable limits. We approve
both the character Of the Improvements
in general recommended by him. as well
as the location Of the roads to be inn
proved. Your committee believes, now
ever, that the engineering department
ought even now to be strengthened by
the appointment Of a consulting engineer
Of great experience, whose services could
be al the disposition Of the highway COM
mission ana its chief engineer in mat
ters requiring a wider knowledge and
experience of things executive than the
chief engineer possesses.
SALARY TOO SMALL
incidentally, it ought to be remarked
that the salary Of chief engineer Of this
county betrays "A false sense Of economy.
The position OF chief engineer in the