Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-05-16
Mailing Road Money Count.

Careful students of the subject estimate that
approximately eight thousand uvllars day is De-
ing spent in Georgia for road Improvements. The
question naturally arises how much of this outlay,
amounting in the course of a year to millions
yields due return? How much is wasted through
lack of foresight and supervision? How much
could be made productive of permanent results?
This is a matter of keen concern to taxpayers
and to the common interests of the State. Every
farmer and merchant, every county and town,
every enterprise looking to the development of
Georgia's natural or human resources has a vital
stake in the money and labor spent for road i'm
provements. If means available whereby the
daily output of eight thousand dollars will produce
more roads and better roads. such means ought to
be adopted in justice to the people and to the af-
fairs of the Commonwealth.
No activity of the State touches public interests
more broadly intimately than the build
ing and maintenance of highways. Yet this is the
one important activity for which there is no State
guidance and supervision Agriculture and COM
merce and education have their particular depart
ments under the State government. But highway
construction, which affects each of those fields of
service and many others as WELL is left almost en-
tirely to unorganized effort.
So long this condition continues neither the
State whole nor the individual counties will
get due results from the expenditure of road funds
There be no Statewide system of roads unless
there is Statewide method of initiative and con-
troll Nor will the roads of a particular district
render full service unless they correlated with
the roads of other districts. A county may spend
large sums road construction and maintenance
employing the best methods and materials but the
result of its efforts will be sorey limited if its
neighbors Indifferent to good roads or if they
employ poor material and short-sighted methods
In justice to the Individual counties therefore as
well as TO the State a whole, there ought to be
central commission through which the now scat
tered and sometimes conflicting plans can be co-or-
dnated for the common good
Such commission will mean cooperative in
stead of disjonted efforts sustained and weI-con-
sidered instead of haphazard efforts scientific and
economical instead of careless and wasteful efforts
1t will be especially helpful to the more sparsely
settled counties that unable to pay for the
service of competent engineers. Just as the State
Department of Education centers it's energy on dis
tricts which most in need of school improve
ments, so a State Highway Commission would
specialize on districts most in need of road i'm
provements. The result would be that in the
course of few years every part of Georgia would
be building roads with enthusiasm and what is
equally important, with efficiency.
If such a system is inaugurated the eight thou
sand dollars day spent for road work in
Georgia will yield far broader and more substan-
tiaI returns Furthermore, the amount spent for
this purpose will be multiplied again and again. for
experience shows that the people are ever willing
to pay taxes and vote bonds for highway improve
ment if they assured that the money will be
efficiently used
For years past, Highway Commission bills have
been introduced in the legislature but owing tn
one circumstance another none has been enacted
This year the State Chamber of Commerce. the
State Association of County Commissioners and