Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1916-08-28

SiSu ny IHe ACT.
'"I remember that, on one occasion
when | was speaking to a public offic-
ial about the road bill and suggested
that we ought to begin with modest
initial appropriation of three. four, or
five millions of dollars, he expressed
surprise and said that such an amount
would not go anywhere; that the ex-
penditure by the nation of a few mil
lions of dollars Off roads would be
merely trifing with the matter. asked
him if he knew what the people of the
nation were contributing annually for
read building, that the nation was al
ready expanding the equivalent of
nearly half of what the Panama Canal
i has cost. OF course he did not. And
the majority of people do not realize
that the nation is expanding approx
mately $250,OOO,O00 year for roads.
A Dollars Result for Each Dollar Ex-
pended.
1.-THE main question that I am i'm
mediately concerned with, that the
people of the nation are Immediately
concerned with, is whether we shall
get dollars result for every dollar we
expend for roads. I am quite sure that
if we do so we can convince the people
that we have done so, they will be
willing to put much more money into
good roads where they are needed.
Therefore, the matter of administering
this law, of deyising good roads sys-
TENS, of careful selection of roads, of
formation projects, of developing plans
tiers considered on their merit by
component men, seem to me to lie at
the root of this business. If, as the
result of this act, the people are in
duced fully to realize the necessity of
placing skillful and experienced men
in charge of road building and road
maintenance, great advance will
have been made and the efforts OF
those who labor to secure the legis-
lation will have been rewarded.
Employment of Experts.
Il assume, as matter of necessity,
that this law will require the employ
ment in every state of experts, of
real experts. This word is very much
misused and abused. as the word
'thorist' is. frequently hear con-
trast drawn between the thorists and
the practical men. There is no basis
for it. The classification ought to
be in good theorists and bad theorists,
OF practical men and impracticable
men. A really good theorist is
highly PRACTICAL and so is a real ex-
pert. The public is somewhat sus-
picious of experts because, l think
so many pose as experts who are not
When the public sets an expert aside.
it is worth while to inquire carefully
into the experts claims and COM
potency.
'"I repeat that this act will neces-
state trained intelligence in the
service of the state as we'll as in the
service of the Federal Government.
The act requires the state to accept it.
That, as l understand it, implies the
assent of the state to every provis-
ion of the act. One of these provis-
ions is that projects, plans, speciica-
tions, and contracts shall be submit
ted and approved; and l have sus-
picion that plans and specifications
will not be approved unless they are
Submitted by people who know about
such things. So the assent of the
state involves the calling of trained
men into the service of every state
which is now without them.
"'The law involves another thing,
the pledge of the faith of the state to
meet in full the Federal appropriation
for the entire period covered by the
act. The state legislature may not
be able to appropriate money one
year Off the whole period covered by
the act, but it can pledge the faith of
the state to meet the financial pro