The Bemidji daily pioneer., 1912-03-21

The farmer is not the only one who uses
the country roads or receives benefit
from them. They are also used by the
country merchant, the lumber dealer,
the itinerant peddler, the village doc
tor. the commercial salesman, by the
wheelman and the automobilist, and to
q greater or lesser extent by the en-
tire people The city dweller cannot
live without his daily supplies from
the farm, and he must pay daily and
in cash the greater share Of all extra
cost attending their transportation.
Some of the state highway depart
ments are operated on purely poltti-
cal basis, and it very frequently hap
pens that the highway commissioners,
as we'll as their subOrdinates, are re-
moved from Office for purely political
reasons, no matter how efficient or COM
petent they may be. This is the most
serious defect in our state aid system.
Any law providing for state super
vision and state aid should be so
framed as to remove its administra-
ton as far as possible from the in
nuence of partisan politics. A plan
that seems to be meeting with general
approval is one which provides for a
nonpaid, nonpartisan and technically
competent commission that consists.
for instance, Of professor of civil en-
cheering from one Of the leading uni
versities or colleges Of the state, the
state geologist and one civilian mem
Der to be appointed by the governor.
A commission thus constituted has
majority OF its members selected be-
cause Of their training and ability and
without reference to their political af
fluations. The civilian member ap-
pointed by the governor should bring
to the commission the business ability
essential to the proper and economic
organization and prosecution Of it's
work. At the same time, SO long as
the governor could appoint only the
minority Of the commission and the
same being nonpaid, there would be
little 1nducement to make the position
one of political preferment.
The actual work of state highway
department should be under the direc-
tion Of one man possessing technical
qualifications. experience and execu-
tive ability. This official should be ap-
pointed by the commission. He should
be a civil engineer, skilled and expert
snced In road construction and main
tenance, and his salary should be fixed
by the commission. His position should
be permanent, and he should not be re-
moved except for incompetence or NAL
feasance In Office.
The state highway engineer should
be empowered to appoint all Of his as
sistants after proper examination and
with the advice and consent Of the
commission, to receive all bids and to
award contracts, to supervise the work
of construction and maintenance, and,
in fact, he should be given full authori.
ty In all executive work of the depart
ment. The state highway engineer
should prepare map of such Of the
main highways Of the state ~ should
most properly constitute system of
state or trunk line roads to be 1mprov-
ed either In part or wholly by the state.
State road improvement should be car
ried forward with the ultimate idea of
developing a continuous system of
trunk lines running throughout the
state and connecting, If possible, with
similar trunk line, roads in adjacent
states and with the necessary lateral
roads in each county. Ill. -
The state highway engineer should
be given authority to call on county or
township road officials for information
concerning the roads under their super
vision. and it should be made manda-
tory on such officials to furnish such in
formation upon request This is very
desirable, as it is necessary for the
state highway department to keep post
ed as to conditions existing in different
counties. ."
In most Of the state aid laws the
Initiative in obtaining state aid rests
with the county or township authori.
ties. This is wise provision, because
In the first place, the local authorities
are in better position to know what
roads it will be to the greatest advan-
tage Of the county or township to Inn
prove, and, in the SECOND place, they
are best able to determine the extent
of the county's ability to share in the
expense of such an improvement. An
other consideration of great Importance
In this connection is that if the initia-
tive were to rest entirely with the
state there would be certainty of
conflict Of authority between the state
and the counties. resulting in the ulti.
mate failure Of the state aid plan.
The only case in which the roads can
be built by the state without the full
and hearty cooperation Of the coun-
ties or townships Is where the state
pays the entire cost Of building and
maintaining the roads. Most :ef the
laws provide that state aid shall not
be granted until the application Of the
local authorities has been approved by
the state engineer, which enables the
sodneer to exefciee sort of supeEyis-