Perth Amboy evening news., 1911-08-24
HURT
JERSEY ROADS
Col. Stevens Says Too Little
Spent on inspection.
Special TO the EVENING NEWS.

NFNNfH ~ WV
Trenton, Aug. 24:-In the opinion
Of Colonel Edwin A. Stevens, state
commissioner of roads, politics Is
seriously interfering with the pro-
gress of good roads in New Jersey.
He thinks that the road supervisors
should be placed under civil service
regulations and that other steps
should be taken to put all road build
ing and maintenance on a practical
business basis and cut out all poll
tics.
New Jersey has about 5000 miles
of improved roads, about 1900 miles
Of which were built under the state
aid law, the state paying one-third
the cost Of construction. Discussing
the road problem in the state today,
which he admitted was a big one, he
declared that the roads generally are
only about seventy-fiye per cent. up
to good condition and to put then
in good condition and then keep
them there will neCessitate several
radical changes in method.
Colonel Stevens believes that all
the roads in the state should be put
in first class condition and then they
should be so maintained as to grow
better and better, instead of continu-
ally de~teriOrating, as they do under
present conditions.
1--WE must get politics out of our
road building, in the first place, he
said. Then he showed how politics
interferes with road construction. Il
won't name the county" he Contin-
ued, but in one county in this state
they had a good county road super
visor who was doing good work and
who had brought the roads up to fair
condition. He was faithful and prac-
teal and brought results. In spite
Of my protest he was ousted and the
place given to a member of the
Board of F~reeholders whose term
had Just expired. The new man is
not fitted for the place. How can we
get anywhere in road construction
with methods like that?"
Continuing, he illustrated how the
political pull of the freehOlders acts
as a sprag to the good road move
ment. Work is started on a piece
of road work" he said, and 1t is
well under way when a freeholder in
another part of the county insists
that he is not getting his share of
road work. To appease him the JOB
is stopped, or partially so. and the
working gang is taken to the other
part of the county. Of course, under
such circumstances neither job Is
properly done"
Colonel Stevens's remedy for this
is to have laws which will permit
public road building to be done In
the same manner that railroad work
is handled, with permanent section
gangs handling one job until it Is
properly done, and then moving to
anotehr piece OF construction.
Colonel Stevens wants the road
supervisors under civil service rules
10 they will not be spending much of
heir time pulling political wires to
etain their places. The term is only
hree years and before their terms
re half served they begin working
-de.-
ant to get good supervisors and l
We want to protect their posi-
Ons so Wa can keep them" declared {
he commissioner. s
This state will have to spend more {
loney on its roads if they are to be :
Maintained at 100 per cent, in the 0
pinion of the commissioner. This {
ear the state will receive about Z
100000 from automobile fees. Of
his about $4,000 will go for the 5
expense of the Automobile Depart
and the survey for the Della
ware Valley highway. This will
cave $4,000 for road work. The
aggregate amount appropriated by
twenty-one counties will be
about $1,250,0OO, making about ST.
100000 in all. Colonel Stevens said
it will take 100000 a year to keep
the roads as they should be kept.
Taking up another phase Of the
question, Colonel Stevens declared
that New Jersey is not spending
enough money in the supervision Of
It's road building. He said: Il figure
that the New Jersey overhead or
supervisory charges in road building
are only about 8 to 10 per cent. of
the whole cost. This is not enough.
In New York state it is p per cent.
Jersey road building is a big proposi-
ton and should be very carefully
supervised. Much bad work now
gets by because of unskiIled or care
less inspection. We must improve
this If we are to better road condi-
tons"
He spoke for a system under which
road inspectors could be permanent
ly engaged and trained for the work,
being moved from job to Job. Now
the inspectors are mostly unskilled
and are temporarily appointed for a
ma rticu1ar iOb