Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-01-17
HOW TO SECURE GOOD ROADS IN NORTH DAKOTA


competent supervision over the con.
! struction of highways is equally true
concerning the maintenance. The very
day that the construction of a piece
OF road is completed the work of main
! te1ance should begin. In the Euro.
pean countries where good roads are
! constructed of macadam or paving
material, organized gangs of men are
continually at work on maintenance.
How much more is this necessary in
North Dakota, where our country roads
for years to come will be made of the
earth material at hand. "A stitch in
+; time will save nine is just as true
, of the road as on the clothes we wear.
What railroad corporation would
long survive who attempted to do
. their construction and maintenance
work in the same manner that We now
attempt to use the money We receive
, for highway taxes. The organization
of the railroads on construction and
maintenance work consists of a chief
engineer with corps of competent as
!
a piece of construction work is con-
templated these assistants are sent
! out to make careful and detailed sur.
veys of all the territory through which
it is proposed to construct, and the
final route is determined on only after
careful study has been made from the
records obtained.
| On the construction work the same
organization is maintained and aided
! by practical railroad men and con.
tractors. Each man knows mis- duties
and attends to them or looks for an
other job. Maintenance work is car
ried on under the same competent su-
| pervision.
l maintain that if we are to have
good roads efficiently and economical
| ly constructed and maintained we
; must follow somewhat the methods of
the railroad corporations in their sys.
tematic supervision.
Good Men Are Lacking.
1t is notorious fact that We are
lacking good men in the field Of high
way engineering. Not only is this
| true in our own state, but it is true
n every state of the Union. Only re.
Gently have our leading universities
taken up this matter and departments
of highway engineering are being es-
tablished and this branch of engineer
ing being taught. In our own uni
versity and agricultural college this
branch Of engineering should be in
troduced as soon as possible and our
young men taught this important sub.
ject in order that knowledge of it may
be more widespread and better un-
derstood by the intelligent men in
every community.
State Aid.
Now we come to the question OF
state aid in highway construction.
have already shown and you may set
it down as fundamental truth of uni
versal application, emphasized by ex-
perience in this country as we'll as In
the old world, that before permanent
road improvement can be successfully
made and state or county funds In
! aid thereof properly expended. skilled
! supervision of the work in all it's steps
must be provided and a we'll organized
administrative system. from the state
down to the smallest political unit,
maintained.
At the present time more than one
half of the states of the Union pro-
vide state aid for the construction
and maintenance of roads. This aid
is sometimes given to those counties
or townships which expend a like
amount. Some of the states require
that the petitioners for an improved
road pay a small percentage Of its
cost. Whatever the method of dis
bursting the state aid fund it Is signifi.
cant that no state grants aid unless it
supervises the expenditure of the
fund. Neither is there to my knowl-
edge single state that has granted
state aid and employed expert super.
vision over the construction and main
tenance of its highways that has ever
gone back to the old system.
The constitution of North Dakota
prohibits the granting of state aid
for works of internal improvement, but
concurrent resolution passed the
last legislature for An amendment to
the constitution which provides that
luc Stdte IudS dppOpEldte ulOucy Luz
| aid in the construction and improve
ment of highways. This resolution
must come before the next legislature
il 1913. and if concurred in by that
legislature will be submitted to a vote
| of the people in 1914, and if it car.
| ries by the vote of the people laws
making appropriations for this pur-
pose may be enacted in the legislature
of 1915.
Let US then as farmers. business
or professional men, stop and consider
whether We shall stand in the pathway
of progress in this matter of improved
! conditions on our HIGHWAYS or shall
We individually do our part in for
warding this great movement by in
sisting that the men We choose to
represent us in the legislature shall
be men who having the welfare Of
! our state at heart will cast their vote
and influence towards better road con-
ditions.