The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1917-02-08

orable body to call a special election
for the purpose Of submitting to the
people Of Quay the proposition of the
issuance Of County Bonds in the sum
of two hundred thousand dollars, for
the construction and repair Of roads
and bridges in said county Of Quay in
accordance with the provisions of
Chapter 70 Of the Act Of the First
State Legislature of the State Of New
Mexico, at the 1912 Session thereof.
the same being Section 1856 of 1915,
New Mexico Statutes Annotated.
at Is understood that the principal
shall be distributed, and apportioned
on the roads of the county as agreed
by the Quay County Good Roads Com
mittee. County Commissioners, and
Quay, County Road Board. as shown
by map and estimates filed by Mr.. j.
NJ. Stark at the Quay County Court
House."
Other papers will be made out and
signed by the Road Board to the ef-
feet that Messrs. Mcfarland, Corn and
Whiteside, members Of that board,
will see that the money derived from
the road bonds will be expended rs
the committee shall dictate, or in other
words, as agreed to when the report of
Mr.. Stark was unimously adopted last
Monday night when sixteen precincts
out Of the twenty-seven were personal
ly represented by some resident of
said precinct.
Road building is essentially profess
sional work. II is fully as important
to public development as the work Of
any man or set of men in private, pro-
fessional, industrial or commercial I'M
dertakings. In industrial and COM
mercial life no individual. firm or COR
poration thinks of engaging a man for
skilled work who is not particularly
fitted for it by education and expert
ence. No sound argument can be
brought in defense of a county failing
to do likewise. Under the present law
however. the state asks men of vari-
Gus occupations, three in each county
to undertake certain professional work
without compensation. These men
must be patriots to serve at all, and
in the majority Of instances they AKA
men who have not been fitted by train
ing or experience for the work in hand
and the theory Of the law is wrong
that while it contemplates essentially
professional work it fails to provide
adequately for professional super.
vision of this work in the various
, counties.
Counties are not able to secure suf.
ficent funds by levies to carry on road
work on an extensive scale and that
has been one of the greatest handi'
= caps to the success of roadbuilders.
!, Every county feels that it SHOULD
1 have much to say as to it's expendi
lures for road work. 1t is practically
impossible to establish complete har
t mony between the road board, which
t is appointed by the State Highwa,
4 Commission and which expend thu
road funds, and the county commits
%sioners, who are elected locally ant
who make the levies.
$ Re-enactment, practically in its pre-
ent form, of that portion of the Law
:, relative to the State Highway Com
I mission: Creation Of the office Of
d county highway engineer in each coun
y ty, the engineer to be named by tn
$ county commissioners and approved
e by the State Highway Commission
The law should be strict in relation I,
:. the qualifications Of the county high
n way engineer, compelling his appoint
y ment to be based soley on technica
ment to he based solely on technica
'e signing and construction. II shoul
Is be made the duty of the county en-
lie gineer annually to prepare, after con
< sultation with the county commission
m ers and with their advice and consen
y plans and estimates for road work a
81 a budget, such plants and estimate
N to be subject to the approval of tn
W State Highway Commission. TIE lev
y by the county commissioners for roa
work would follow the preparation an
r approval of the estimate for the con
ing year. Tie direction and supe,
- vision of all construction work wouI
then be taken up by the county engii
eer, under the general supervision
the State Highway Commission.
connection with work on roads of Il
STATE highway system the state shou
aid financially, and should have dire
supervision. State and county C
operation could be easily arrange
II might possibly be determined tn
every county would not need the e
elusive services of a highway engi
eer. In such event two or more cou
ties could be combined to form a di
trict, and the highway engineer Ell
ployed to handle the district wor
This would necessitate no changes
general arrangements, as the divisi
of the state would be simply by di
%tricts, instead Of counties.
Our present bridge law which W
about to he repealed, is very def,
tive, and it requires some legislati
to give us a bridge law. Under t
present law, upon the presentation
a certain petition it becomes the du
Of the county authorities to prepa
plans and specifications and ask
bids. The commissioners have abb
lutely no decision in the matter un
after they have advertised and 90
Ia. Ill Ill. "a. H. l.