The Mena weekly star., 1913-06-19
ROAD BUILDING
 UNDER NEW LAW
Local Option in the Building of Public Highways Is One of Prin- cipaI Features of Act-Au-
 thOr'S Statement.
From the Arkansas Democrat.

From the Arkansas Democrat
 In response to numerous inquiries as to the method of building roads under the new Highway Depart ment Act. l have been induced to make short statement of the pos abilities of the new law. From the standpoint or organization, this act has three essential points.
 First-The creation of a commits sion composed of three men to sludy problems of road building in this state and to direct the activi- ties of the highway department.
 Second-The appointment of d highway engineer with the duty of laying out roads and furnishing en- cheering advice and information.
 Third-The payment of all ex- penses by the state through the levy of a tax on automobiles.
 There no longer exists in this state that indifference toward the advantages of good roads we once had. What the people need now is not so much more enthusiasm and encouragement as it is simple di- rection and advice as to how to go about getting what they want. We have never built many permanent roads. Our officers are without eX- perience and training in the con- struction of such roads and our people have never come to realize inc possibility of having them. By the organization of a state highway department, with it's corps of eX- perts and advisers, we hope to put at the command of each and every community that competent advice and direction which experience and study have developed in older sec tious of the country.
 System to Be Adopted.
 As to the methods or system to be adopted by the highway department the law had to be determined by the limitations of our state consti- tuition, by our financial resources and by the existing system of road building as we now find it. The activities of the new highway de- partment are therefore limited to the following lines of work:
 First-The gathering of data con- corning roads throughout the state by requiring road oVerseerS. county judges and other road officers tO render such reports as may seem proper.
 Second The publication and dis tribuiion of plans, specifications and other information about road build ing.
 Third-The holding of road insti- tutes and giving instructions in methods of road building.
 Fourth-The reorganization of county road working systems through the opeation of local op- ton provided in this act This is for the benefit of those counties which may desire some change in their present system of working roads,
 Fifth-The creation and opera ton of special road districts where people desire to build roads with money raised by issuing bonds or by any form of special taxation.
 The fourth and fifth heads here contain the provision of the bill which are at present the source of the cost, interest and inquiry.
 Local Option as to Method of
 Working Roads.
 Under this head it Is provided that the people of any county may change the road districts therein III any manner they see fit; they may abolish the office of road oyerseer or vice versa: they may employ an engineer; they may reduce the roaC tax or they may abolish 1t alto- gether: they may change the man. her of selecting road overseers ol road officers. making it elective or appolntlNe as they see fit, or they may provide for working all the roads in the county by contract
 To accomplish any of these pur- poses it is necessary that ma iority of the legal voters of the county approve the same, and the manner of getting their approval k very simple. The new law or regu- Iation providing such changes as th' people may want is printed in cir cular or pamphlet form, and every legal voter who approves the Sam' may sign a copy and file it in th' office of the county clerk, If tho county judge, after a proper hear ing decides that a majority of th' legal voters have approved the new system, he makes an order putin! 1t in force.
 predict for this local option pro vision in our road laws a great dea Of benefit for two reasons. First because it will enable each coun " to work out it's own problems an, get the system best adapted to 1t