Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-02-08
j. 8. To BUILD
850-M|LE ROAD
AS A LESSON
Party Of Engineers Prepare for
Trip From Washington to
Atlanta.

scouting party composed of OFF,
cials Of the Office of Public Roads the
American Highway Association and
various State highway departments,
Will motor from Washington to At
tsnta soon, according to word received
in Los Angeles.
With the co operation Of the high
way officials and supervisors of the
States traversed by the road, Govern
ment engineers are to improve and
maintain $50 miles of highway, giving
an actual demonstration of what can
be accomplished il the States and
Government work together
A conference has just been held by
the officials Of the Office of Pubic
Roads, headed by Director Logan
Waller Page; Leonard Tufts, chafr-
man of the special committee ap-
pointed by the association to have
charge of this work, and J f. Penny
hacker, executive secretary of the or
ganization, and an agreement was
reached for inaugurating the project
Tic OiiNt u : lblit INpduS dETteu
10 put three of the ablest engineers
of the Office in charge of the 500 mi e
stretch, provided the American Hign-
way Association would secure the CO.
operation of the local officials in the
States which are to be traversed. one
OF these engineers VIII probably have
charge of tho stretch from Washing
ton TO the North Carolina line; an
other from the North Carolina to the
South Carolina line, and the third
from this point to Atlanta
AS Object Lesson
II was due to the initiative Of the
American Highway Association that
this work was undertaken, the Off
Gals feeling that the object lesson
would be better in its nation wide eff
feCts than tons of literature extolling
the benefits Of good roads The as
ISOLATION has agreed to furnish auto
mobiles for the permanent use of the
engineers SO that they can cover the
entire stretch of road.
In the scouting party there will be
Captain p. st. J. Wilson. assistant di-
rector and several engineers from the
Office of Public Roads. Mr.. Tufts and
Mr. Pennybacker and various State
highway officials, who will be picked
up as the party proceeds. Meetings
are being arranged in the various
towns along the route AZ which local
officials intend to discuss with the
Government party the question OF
turning over the roads and the money
that would ordinarily be spent upon
them TO the supervision of the Gov
eminent engineers, whose duty il will
be to eXpend every dollar to the best
advantage of the community affected
eliminating all waste in expenditure II
these particular road Improvement
funds
While the practical work is going
on, Legislatures in Maryland Viz
ginia, Kentucky, New Jersey and New
York will discuss the adVisability of
road work for convtcts
In Maryland. road work will be IN
tluded in the broad reorganization Of
the prison system fathered by Gov
ernor Goldsborough Two years ago
the national committee on prison Ia
Dor filed report on conditions in the
Maryland House of Correction, which
Drought out strongly the evils inner
ent in the contract system OF convict
labor. AS a result of this report, a
special commission was appointed by
Governor GOldsborough to investigate
the State penitentiary. The commits
Sion reported the chief penal insti-
tuition of the State TO be run on The
ple>-diametrically opposed TO
the principles of modern penology. "
stating that politics" and the con
tract system were the cause of mucn
OF the trouble
Names Committee.
Governor Goldsborough then sp-
pointed committee to draft the leg
islation necessary for the reorganlza-
tion Of the prison system, requesting
the National Committee on Prison
Labor TO make recommendations as
To methods whereby the prisoners
could be employed without recourse
to the contract system The commit
tee strongly urged that the prisoners
be placed on farms and roads, and in
the advance statements issued by the
Maryland Legislative Committee on
outdoor Labor is given prominence.
The campaign for convict road work
in New York State will center on the
scenic highways 10 be constructed a.
Storm King. Commissioner of High
Ways John y. Carlisle will introduce
a bill into the Legislature embodving
the proposition that convict labor be
used in the construction Of this high
way The bill will have the support
of the automobile associations and
the national committee on prison
labor, the proposition being in accord
with the suggestion made by the
committee four years ago to the
State Superintendent OF Prisons. that
prisoners be employed in the work OF
developing the Palisades Park re-
serves.
The Kentucky Prison Commissions
ors are at present making a tour Of
tne various convict road camps, pre-
paratory 70 the organization of sucA
camps in Kentucky as made possible
by the recent constitutional amend
ment. New Jersey and Virginia will
provide better facilities FOR the con
duet of the road work already estab-
lished in these States In New Ter
sey special attention viii be given 10
the problem of administration, Con
Wet road work in that State has be en-
successful. but costly, owing to the
expense of maintainin" the large
number of guards which have be
considered necessary. An effor; VIII
now be made to develop the honor
system with its lessened expense tor
guarding.
The honor system the payment .,
wage TO the prisoners and other pro
gressive principles which have been
tried In several Of the States during
the past few years will be worked on,
in greater detail and the year 1914
promises to be a record year for con-
wet road work,