Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1915-01-07
Highway Engineer Carter
Believes Like Judge Phil
pot in Permanent Work.
ROAD ACT DEFECTIVE
Commissions First Report Suggests
Changes in Act to Make Formation
Of Road Districts Easier and
Bonds Salable.

Little Rock, Jan. 1.-THE first
biennial report of the state highway
commission has been filed with the
governor.
Among other things, the commits
sion points out defects in act 302,
creating the commission, and says:
Like all new laws, act No. 1902 had
to be put into practical operation to
find that in some respects it is sum-
bersome and in others defective AMI
impracticable 1t was found to b.
cumbersome in its operation in the
formation of improvement districts.
1t was also found that bonds Issued
under this act would be o1 no COM
mercial value. This question was
raised by Rose, Hemingway, Cantrell.
! Loughborough & Miles, fam of able
attorneys who are authority On bonds
and their value and whose stamp OF
approval must be- on every bond is
sue in Arkansas for public improve
ments before buyers will invest their
money"
Acknowledgement Moose, to whom
the matter was referred, concludes
that 1.-The act is defective and no
marketable bonds q could be issued
under it,"
The commission recommends that
! thirty-five sections of the act be re-
pealed, and sections be substituted.
and 80 worded, that road improve
ment districts may be formed In a
more business-like and simple way,
with the interests of the people prop
erly guarded
1t is recommended that the present
| law governing automobile licenses be
| amended 50 that. the amount OF the
license shall be graded by the horse
power as the "oWner OF a light
| twenty-horse power machine should
not be compelled to pay as much for
a license as one would on sixty
horse power machine" 1t also rec
ommends nalf-yearly rate. when the
machine is purchased after Aug. j.
State~H ghway Engineer H. K. Car
| ter reports that Mhen he assumed
| The office he found $4,000 miles OF
public roads; in the state with less
than LOCO miles improved. He de-
clares that "a comparison of our road
conditions with those of other states
is. indeed: embarrassing" How roads
may be improved is discussed at
length and in practical manner. He
recommends comprehensive plan
for state highway system as an
ESSENTIAL to progress" also the com
piiation Of a complete map of our
public highways. System in road
matters is as necessary as in any
private business says Mr. Carter,
''yet we are in the, same rut and have
been for forty years. Under our
present lack of system, an enormous
sum OF $1,200,000 per year is being
spent from the general mill tax
alone, with no great improvement
over conditions in the past. 1t is
better to build ten miles of the best
construction on important roads
Teaching the most people than to
patch mud-holes over the entire
country"
The view expressed by the state
highway engineer is that of County
Judge c. NJ. Philnot, who has proceed
ed on the idea in road work in JET
ferson county. Judge Philpot has en-
deavored as much as possible to do
permanent work. and has followed a
policy in bridge building that will
Igive the county lasting structures of
nd oounrofp=