The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-11-17
PRATT FOR GOOD
ROADS EDUCATION
States Highway Engineer
Makes Address to Road
Congress In Atlanta

Atlanta, Ca. Nov. 1.-THE import
ance Of good roads education was the
keynote of a splendid address deliv-
ered before the American Roads Con-
sress here Wednesday by DR.. Joseph
dyoe Pratt, State geoloSist and high
way engineer of North Carolina.
1r- Pratt pointed out the import
ance of q campaign OF education on
the part of the State highway depart
ment as 1t related to the departments
employees, to county and township
road officials, and finally as it relates
to the people of the State. He ex-
pressed belief that there is great need
IN many highway departments for
thelr engineers to be in closer touch
one with another and with the head of
the department; and suggested that
at least once a year there should be
a general meeting of all the State en-
g1neerS and superintendent where
they would have opportunity of dis
cuSslng and working out the various
proplems that come up in connection
with their individual work.
The State highway department."
he said, will find that it is necessary
TO train and educate young men in
order to develop a corps of engineers
OF sufficient magnitude to carry on the
work that is required of the depart
ment. A student just out of college,
having received the pest
training in the highway engineering
department, is not a competent high
way engineer but is capable of be-
coming one. He can work we'll un-
der more experienced men, but is not
IN a position to take charge Of road
work at the beginning of his career
DR.. Pratt pointed out that the high
way department in taking control Of
the roads Of the State must be able
to show hat it has something to give
a man that IS better than the county
has p connection with it's road work.
In this connection he stressed the
necessity Of a competent engineer in
charge of county road work as being
Iully as important as a State engi-
neer for statewide work. Speaking of
the Importance of education among
county and town road officials he
said:
Those connected with the CON
structiOn Of public roads are like any
other set Of men, in hat If they can
be made to have a personal interest
in their work they accomplish more
and with better results. l believe this
personal interest of the road men is
Of as great or greater value in con-
%nection with building roads as in any
other kind of work, inasmuch as the
question of the disposal Of dirt and
rock in grading is so dependent on the
road men themselves that they can
very often waste a lot of dirt and also
a great e of time. unless some one
is standing over them constantly di-
recting each individual mans work.
Open County Meetings.
A least once a year the State
highway department should call al
open meeting in each county to be
held at the office of the county or road
commissioners for h purpose Of af-
fOrdlng instruction relative to mat
ters pertaining to road and bridge
construction and maintenance.
"Once there should be held a good
roads institute either in the office OF
the State highway department or pref
+ erably at the State university Oh
other State institution where a course
in highway engineering is given. L
will be found hat as these institute:
! are carried on from year to year the.
+ soon become clearing houses for al
, road problems of the State in which
= the are held"
. Informing the People.
Dr.. T said that in some State
one Of the most important works
4 State highway department can do j
that Of informing people a. to the roa'
situation. Upon this subject DR.. Pratt
\ said:
"Where We have the three sets O
road officials-State, county and town
ship-in charge of different portion
Of a States system of roads, there i
more or less conflict between the our
. ty and township officials and the Stat
officials, and this is apt to engender
feeling of antagOnism AGAINST tn
State department. This will alway
b. the case until our people, as
whole, realize that the welfare Of To
n State must come before that of tn
e county; the county before that Of tn
township; the township before that c
the community, and the communit
before that of the individual famil,
. At the present time, in many state
n we are apt to consider things in re
verse order to what I have Just mer
toned. We cannot afford to develo
a county ct the expense of the state.
Il believe that a state highway dt
partment should show to the people {
4 a state the work it is doing, what
a has accomplished and what it expec'
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