Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-08-02
GEORGIA VITALITY NEEDS 4
STATE HIGHWAY COMMISSION

the people, whole, than that to establish State
Highway Commission. The purpose of this bill Is
to make road building in Georgia more effective by
making it systematic to coordinate the splen-
did scattered efforts of the various counties
and to place behind each community the resources
and the encouragement of the entire commonwealth.
No argument is needed to convince the people OF
Georgia that good roads golden investment
Their experience is the best witness to this truth
They have seen from their doOrsteps the quick
ening influence Of a we1l-built highway on their
farms their business their. schools, and upon every
field of their common life. Within the past hve
years our counties have built more miles of roads
than any other state in the Union with the single
exception of New York. Evidently, there rs no lack
of popular enthusiasm in this important work
What then might not be accomplished, il to
this public zest for good roads were added the guild
ing power of the state government itself, and il
each county were assured that it's own highways
were being linked to an widening and ever
improving system Of roads. throughout the state?
How much greater would be the service of every
highway If it were part of such statewide plant
How much further would the road fund of every
county go, If the advice and direction OF skilled
state engineer available free Of charge! '. =
How much more durable would every stretch of
our highways become. if constructed in accordance
with this expert knowledge ..-,. ......- -r:
All these and divers other good results will fol
low the establishment of a State Highway Commits
sion. The bill provides that the members of this
board shall be the chairman of the State Prison Com
mission geologis the professor of civil en-
cheering at the University of Georgia. the professor
of civil engineering at the Georgia School of Tech
noIogy and a citizen to be appointed by the Cover
nor. There shall also be named by the Governor,
with the approval of the Commission, competent
civil engineer, experienced in highway construction
and maintenance whose duty it shall be to carry out
the instructions of the Commission and the general
purpose of the act itself. He shall collect and COM
pile information concerning the mileage and the
condition Of highways and bridges in the different
counties HE shall investigate and determine the
methods of road construction best adapted to the
various sections of the state and shall establish
standards for the construction and maintenance of
highways in the various counties giving due regard
to the topography natural conditions, character and
availability of road building material and to the
ability of the counties to meet their portion of the
cost of building and maintaining roads" As soon as
is practicable, he shall prepare map of the main
highways in the state. He shall be ready at all
times to give information and advice to the LEGAL
thorites of any community that IS building roads.
The engineer and the Commission viii study the
methods of road building and maintenance through
out the United States collecting for the of Geor
gia counties all obtainable knowledge concerning
road material and machinery and doing their utmost
to make the highways of this state as sefsieeable
scientific knowledge and competent work can render
them. .'-
Each year the Commission will make a report to
the General Assembly showing just what has been
accomplished within the twelvemonth for the i'm
provement or extension of the public roads; and
each month the highway engineer will make SINH
lar report to the Commission. Thus the Legislature
with he hiQhVva
development of the state whole and likewise
every county will know precisely what is being
accomplished within its own and its neighbours
borders.
The value of such a Commission a clearing
house for up to date and dependable information
the best methods of road building scarcely be
gagged An eminent authority recently declared
that the excessive rains OF the past six months have
damaged the roads of Georgia tc the extent of
million dollars. This tsra loss watch the people
themselves will have to pay. How much of it might
have been saved. had every road been built of the
best possible material and, by the best possible
methods! Through the proposed Highway Commits.
sion each county will be able to ascertain free of
cost the kind of material adapted to its particular
needs; and in all other matters of road building,
it will have the garnered experience of the world
and the advice of a skilled engineer to lean upon
From the standpoint of. economy, therefore, "a
State Highway Commission is very much desired:
,It will not only money forthe Individual county
but it will unite the efforts Of all the Counties in
common purpose, to develop real system of high
ways that will bind al the compupties and all the
people of the state more closely intheir business
and social life From its very. nature road must
be part of a general system Of roads, if it is to
render full service. The value of each link depends
upon the entire chain This, perhaps, is the most
timely truth the good roads workers of Georgia
now consider; andstt is upon just this truth that
the establishment of a central highway commission
for the state at large is justified.
It is interesting to note that this measure has
been heartily Endorsed by the Georgia Federation of
Road Authorities and by the United States Office OF
Public Roads. 1t had the earnest Endorsement of
Senator Hoke Smith, when he governor and it
has received the equally cordial commentator of
Governor Brown. A great majority of the states
that are Interested in road buiisng and making