Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1913-01-12

which will in all probability be in two
years time, this highway commits.
sion could be disseminating bulletins
and information on highway construc.
ton and maintenance and could fur
nish counties SO desiring it, engineers
versed in highway construction, and
give advice and prepare plans and
specifications for highway work when
called upon. The expense for this
commission and the engineers would
not be very great, as we already have
an engineers office. which could, with
some additional expense, be utilized
for highway work. The Tribune does
not advise that the actual work Of
administering the road fund in town.
ships and counties shall be taken
away from the local boards, but it
does believe and suggests that II
these local boards could have some
such body as a highway commission,
who can furnish free Of cost practical
road builders Or engineers to prepare
plans and specifications for road and
bridge work, and that can help in ere
ating a systematic method of disburs-
ing the money raised for road work
in townships or counties that a long
step in the right direction will have
been taken. The states that are ac-
complishing most in highway con-
struction are those which have first
created an administrative board SINH
lar to the one just outlined,
1t is probable that bills providing
for the payment of all road and poll
taxes in cash will be introduced at
this session, and there is every reason
why such a bill should become a law.
We believe that any legislator who
will vote for a bill of this kind will
be doing something that in after
years he can point to with a great
deal of pride, and the large majority
of those taxpayers who may now be
opposed to such a law will within a
few years time be much better sat
isfied than under the old system. With
the cash payment of road taxes should
go a law for letting the road work
out by contract under proper ~restric-
ton. That we could utilize some of
our convicts from the p%enitentiary
for road work is believed by many Of
our legislators, and we could use the
prisoners in the county jails to good
purpose on the same work, we also
believe.
That the proper use of the automo-
bile fund is a subject which will have
a great deal of attention at this SEES
sion, is a fOregone conclusion. We
do not believe that good roads are
for the automobilist. The use of the
roads by the farmer is much greater
than by the automobilist, and we have
noticed that an automobile road is
appreciated by the farmer when he
is marketing his produce. The farm
er is the Il for whom we must build
better roads and for Years to come
we cannot expect to build other than
earth roads, but what we can do and
what our legislation should be aimed
at is to build better roads with the
money raiset for that purpose and
then properly maintain them.
Both the retiring and the incoming
governor referred to better highway
laws in their recommendations, and
We believe that thoLe swho introduce
good bills a do no wiser act than to
all get together and agree on some
one or two measures that will en-
body the best part Of all the bills and
make them into laws.
What the legislature wants is to
accomplish something, and the indi-
vidual legislator, while he may be
ambitious to have his particular the
DRY become a law, will be far better
satisfied with himself in years to
come if he assists in accomplishing
good results than he will be If he sue
ceeds in passing his own particular
bill. And after all, it is results that
We all want. And when all is said and
done, it is results that count.
Andrew Caruepie is still nntimisr;r