American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1916-01-27

work but overpaid at any price for what they can do, and
who are elected by the people because they are good fell
lows" or they are hard workers in party affairs, and they
have recognition" bother the roads and the purposes for
which they are opened. Time was not so very long ago,
when in some of the states, Superintendent of Education,
who signed their names with a cross mark were not in
frequently selected because they had been "good soldiers"
and needed the salary. If the public roads of the country
are to be accepted as proof of the fitness of the road Off
GERS they ar condemned by their work.
The whole business has been running loose at both ends
what should have been everybodys business has been
nobodys' business. There has been no continuity of effort,
no organization of the working units, no general planning
in the public interest, no seat of authority, no care IN ad-
ministration. Changes in the political control OF States
and counties and districts are followed by changes in the
political complexion of road officials without regard to the
competency of the men selected for this work or the eff
cheney and experience of the men displaced to make a po-
litical holiday. Within the last ten years arbitrary chang
es on political grounds have been made In the control OF the
engineering work in the State Highway departments of
Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Michigan, Mary"
land, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York,
Pennsylvania, Washington and West Virginia. In the
last fifteen wears nine changes have been made in, the con-
troll of the Highway department of New York, and the
most of these changes have been made on partisan political
grounds. Doubtless some of the changes have been Justl-
fd because of the ineficiency or other %untltness OF the
men holding office, but in the main the highway depart
ments have been regarded as offering convenient refugees
for deserving" workers in whatever party happens TO he
on top.
The building of public roads ought to be a purely bust
ness enterprise managed on strictly business principles.
line men charged WIFI IIc IL oLouu " oSiNoS S"NJ
on the ground of merit. There would be as much sense
in choosing all highway engineers and supervisors because
thew are Presbyterians or Roman Catholics as there would
be in selecting them because they were all Rpubhcans or
Democrats.
AS the most effective way of protecting the state high
way departments from the destructive influence OF parts
an politics Mr.. Page suggests that each department be
placed under the control of a non-partisan, unpaid COM
mission, partly e~x-officio and partly appointed, and repre-.
sentative of the education and scientific institutions OF
the respective states, the appointed members of the COM
missions to be selected from laymen of approved
fitness for the work in hand. He would entrust to these
commissions the selection of the chief technical road offl-
GERS. their selection to be made wholly on the ground OF
qualifications as proved by competitive examination, just
as the officers of the government at Washington are Sc
lected for their fitness. He would take the roads of the
country out of politics, the bane of all well directed and
successful administration of the most important service.
He would not interfere with the initiative and voice OF the
countries in the management of their local affairs further
than to REQUIRE that the men selected to direct the country
road work should be chosen only after passing such exam
nation as the state highway department acting in cooper
alton with the civil service department OF the state might
REQUIRE. 'The intelligent application of the merit system
in securing skilled supervision in road work is the only
promising method of eliminating politics from road adj
mnistration." mn :.
Surely, the old plan has been tried long enough. That 1t
has failed, the fact that there are. in the whole United
States today only about $780, 900 miles OF really flrst-rate
public highways proves beyond question. Another fact
that is worth noting is the waste of $5O,OOO,OOO annually
in road building and maintenance because OF the metric
iency of those charged with the work.