Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-01-14
DEPLORES LACK OF
HELP WITH ROADS
Col. Stevens Says Politics In
terferes Greatly in Improve
ment of Highways.


SUMMIT, Jan. 14.--In an address
before the members of the Board of
Trade last night State Commissioner
of Roads Colonel Edwin A. Stevens
deprecated the lack of cooperation
between the county boards of free
holders and the State road Depart
ment, the present inadequate office
and field force of the department and
the absence of thorough systematic
and scientific method of road con-
struction and maintenance through
out the State.
Commissioner Stevens also decried
the baneful effect of politics on road
building.
Commissioner Stevens would have
the county engineers of the twenty
one counties in the State made resi-
dent engineers to work in conjunction
with the State road department.
force, these engineers to be freed
from the control of changing political
boards of freeholders.
Instead of a force of ten inspectors
as at present Colonel Stevens de-
clared if reappointed, he would ask
the Legislature to provide his de
partment with at least thirty and per-
haps forty inspectors and additional
departmental engineers. At present
the State road department does not
own single surveying instrument,
and the commissioners office has long
been crippled because of the lack OF
o sufficient Office force, he stated.
Good Roads Decreasing.
The mileage of good roads through
out the State is materially dimin-
ished, Colonel Stevens declared, as a
direct result of the expenditures of
much money on side roads of travel
instead of the principal highways.
This condition is due to the candi-
dates, especially from the rural sec
lions, for membership in board OF
freeholders, making election prom
isos as to road construction or re-
pairing.
"The farmers club may sometimes
bulldoze a board of freeholders or
blow then to dinner, but the sic
roads has got to be rebuilt or repaired
Just the same" said the commission
er. With the great auto traffic con-
stantly increasing the problem OF road
building and maintenance is a dlfh-
cult one, the speaker declared
In no country in the world is the
load imposed on the roadways SO
heavy as that on the highways in this
State, the commission asserted. Inc
type of road construction here Is fuliy
equal to that in practice in European
countries, but not as thorough IN de-
tail owing to the American character
istic of "hurry up" Colonel Stevens
said.
With 10000 registered automobiles
in France and $4,000 registered in this
State, with approximately l6,oOo miles
of roads, the traffic in this STATE Is
a. nj
mile, and yet France is planning TO
raise $50, 900 for the reconstruction
of roads which have absolutely failed,
the commissioner stated.
$500 Miles Improved
According to the commissioner,
there are now about $500 miles of i'm
proved roads in the State which cost
on an average of about $500 per mile.
One million two hundred thousand
dollars was spent by the State and
counties in road building and upkeep
last wear. and at the rate of progress
made during the past thirty years 1t
will. take sixty years to complete the
ssgood road system throughout TINS
State.
There is no such thing as permanent
road construction, in the opinion OF
Colonel Stevens, who advocated the
intelligent use of local material for
ordinary road building.
AS to road maintenance, an expert
ment is to be made in Mercer county
which has his approval, the commits
sioner said, which will consist of
patrol system with an auto truck,
foreman and three laborers. The
truck, which will cost 200, will carry
two and one-half tons of stone and
necessary tar, and it is planned to
keep fifty miles of roads repaired
yearly by this system.
About 100000 of the motor vehicle
tax had been turned over to the State
road department during the past ifs
cal year, the commissioner stated He
stated that, in so far as Union county
is concerned, the county has secured
as much for every dollar invested in
road work as any county in the State.
During his stay in this city yester-
day evening and last night Commits
sioner Stevens was the guest of c. H.
c. Jagels.