El Nuevo mexicano., 1917-02-08

this purpose $1,170,000 il she will fur
nish an equal amount. The state en-
gineer, James A. French, has decided
upon the roads in whose improve
ment state and nation should, in his
opinion, unite. This system OF state
highways totals $3.50 miles. The es'
timated cost is over 100000 The
state highway commission urges that
New Mexico's share Of this amount
be financed by county bond issues
and a state board issue Of $4,000, 900
Upon advices from state highwa,
headquarters several counties Will
soon vote on county road bonds. The
State Taxpayers association comes
out against the state bonds, but fay
ors a tax levy for the purpose.
It is now in order for the taxpay'
ers themselves to be heard from
They will sanction neither a state
bond issue nor a levy until the state
highway commission is recognized.
Roads No Side Issue
In a recent road convention at Ros'
well Ex-Governor Herbert S. Hadley
of Missouri, stated that the worst ar
rangement possible was to have a
state highway commission composed
of state officials. In this state the
governor, the land commissioner and
the state engineer are the commits
sion, all Of whom have other duties
whose rightful discharge would EN-
ploy their entire time, leaving none
for road matters. The land commits
sioner has, in land affairs, a mans
size job. The state engineer has
charge of all state irrigation matters,
The governor has enough other
duties for a we'll man, yet he is the
head of the states agency which is
now called upon to work out a five
year road building compaign, har-
monizing and fusing into one working
plan the resources and activities OF
the counties, the state and the n
ton in the expenditure Of over $5,-
000,G GOO; and he is a sick man. What
is the result? Confusion. The state
highway commission urged Chaves
county to vote bonds in order to meet
the federal appropriation, yet a re-
zen article in the New Mexican
stated that MI. French's plan is to
match the federal appropriation by a
state bond issue of 100000 600. On
February 6 the election is held in
Chaves county and one argument be-
ing used to defeat the proposition is
that it is not necessary for Chaves
county to vote bonds because the
state intends to vote bonds and build
the roads! All one has to do is to
open ones eyes and look around at
the administrative end of it or at the
construction end to see that the bust
ness of roads is not being properly
attended to. All over the state there
is deep dissatisfaction with the pres
ent arrangement. Injustice has been
done in the distribution Of state road
money. The state roads are costing
more than they ought to cost. The
work is too everlastingly slow. There
is too much politics in the business.
We have an excellent state engineer,
but the system is wrong. The head
of a political party is virtually the
state highway commission, and even
though the governor were absolutely
free from political bias, he cannot be
deaf to the suggestions of his adj
visers, and the temptation is too
great to build political roads. The
governor ought not to be on the COM
mission, neither should any state Of
fetal. Other duties engross them.
They may not have special fitness for
the work. And the work has now as
sumed such importance as to require
the best brains and ability of the best
experts in this line, for the business
OF creating $500 miles OF public high
ways linking the hitherto isolated
communities of the state in close and
constant intercourse is more import
ant than the securing of $500 miles OF
additional railway. 1t is the main con-
~structive work of the state for the
next five years. And the taxpayers
are not going to sanction bonds or
levies until the business is taken out
of the hands of men who are so over
.burdened that they cannot give it
proper attention, and put it into the
hands of men whose past records es-
tablish beyond question that they a
be trusted with public money, that
they have the cause of better roads at
heart, that they know what a good
road is and that they can and VIII
see to it that at the end of the five
years New Mexico has her $500 miles
of permanent rapid-transit highways.
Good Men For The Job
The state Is not short Of men.
There are plenty of good roads men in
the state, level-headed business men,
tried and proved; men of public
spirit, and of character. 1t is a fact
that some of the most effective work
leading to the passage of the Bank
head-Shackleford bill was done by
men of this state. Put such men on
the commission, and it will be no
to finance the enterprise.
Pledge and Performance
The reform suggested by ex-Gover-
nor Hadley is a reform to which the
majority party in the state legisla-
ture is pledged to enact into law. 1t
gave its pledge in the state platform
to eliminate state officials and to en-
the commission to five. The
good roads plank was the n most
emphasized in the campaign. Half Of
the legislative session is gone. Before
this Is in print the bill to reorgan-
lie the state highway commission
may be introduced but If this session
-