Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1912-05-02
ADVOCATES CO. SIlIessss 8
OF ROADS >,STEM
STATE ENGINEER DESCRIBED
RESULTS OBTAINED IN COUN-
TIES ADOPTING NEW ROAD
SYSTEM

There have been many inquiries
regarding the success of the coun-
ties in improving their roads, which
have been in charge of road sup
erintendent, appointed by the coun-
ty commissioners in accordance with
the 1911 road law. The law has
been criticised both favorably and
unfavorably, and State Engineer At
kinson has written the following let
ter regardig his investigation. En-
gineer Atkinson is strongly in favor
! with the new system. He says:
First. Every county superintend-
ent of highways who was appointed
last year has either been reappointed
or is holding over. The law provides
as follows: "The board of county
commissioners may at it's first regu-
lar meeting after April 1, 1911, and
biennially thereafter at it's first reg
ular meeting after January 1, appoin:
= competent engineer or practical
road builder who may or may not re
the present county surveyor, who
shall be known as the county super
intendent of highways, and whose
compensation shall be fixed by the
county board" "He shall hold Office
for two years or until his successor
So
If the counties in which county
superintendent of highways were ap-
pointed last year were not well sat
isfied that this system of doing road
work was better than the old meth
cd it is reasonable to suppose that
the system would be dropped.
Second. Every report that l have
been able to obtain from these coun-
: ties shows that the system has al
ready. proven itself to be. far better
than the old.
Mr.. Plomasen, county superfntend-
ent of highways in Billings county,
states that out of a population of H.
900 he knows only one man who is
opposed to the system.
n. The superintendent who were ap-
pointed last season are as follows:
Billings county-Thor. G. Ploma-
sen, Beach.
Burleigh county-John Ecklund,
Wilton.
Griggs county, Martin A. Ueland,
Cooperstown.
Dickey county-Sol Hunter, Oakes.
Stark county-W. R. Veigel, Dick
inson.
In Billings, Griggs and Stark coun-
ties the appointees are the county
surveyors and knowing them person
ally can say that they are able, con-
scientious and efficient men; the 9TH
er men 1 am not personally acquaint-
ed with, but from the fact that they
are obtaining better roads for the
money expended than they were un-
der the old system leads me to be-
lieve that they are good practical
men. AS in any position Of trust,
much more depends on the man Sc
lected for the position than on the
law under which he works. Especial
1y is this true In the matter of road
superintendent. Highway engineer
+ ing has only recently become &C
i knowledged as a science in this
country, and good practical highway
builders are scarce all over the Unit
ed States, and this is especially true
Of North Dakota and the other young
er states. With the county superin-
tendent system in effect only one
year, it is very gratifying to learn.
that with Ill the opposition that nat
urally arises when new system OF
highway work is inaugurated. the
system has proven itself to be cor:
rect in principal and has shown IT.
self to be an economical business
proposition the first year.
/ am sure that any practical, hon
), est and considerations man who may
be appointed 90 county superintend'
b 6nt Of Highways. who will keep him
self f4eA from political alliances and
endeavor to be fair with the county
commissioners and the people, viii
make such ashowing tn one veal
& that the people Of the county VII
not consent to 90 back to the oil
!. !. system, ,s.,s n N Il NJ Ii
One thing has been cohcldsivel!
proven to me, Il there Id Opposition
to this system or handling the high
ways In any of this Souhaes VIII