The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-12-16
TRANSPORTATION
GREAT QUESTION
Vital Error to Stop Improve.
n,ents Of Highways and
Roads Connecting Cities
With. the Farm Districts.

America is Il, a great war ito make
the world safe for democra cy." Amer
lean genius. power and efficiency will
win the war. business will be intense
~ active. but it will be formed into a
business of necessities. No greater
national necessity exists than the need
of improved transportation facilities.
To get foodstuffs to market, to relieve
congested railroad terminals and TO
get manufactured products from the
factories to the jobber and to the con-
sumner are immediate necessities that
are Imperative to the success OF the
nation in its warfare. Road building.
as an economic factor in the life ..
the nation in the time of peace. has
become a vital necessity in the time
of war.
1t would be Just as vital an error
to stop the improvements to the rail-
roads. the building Of cars and loco.
motives and the Improvements of ter
minal facilities as II would be to stop
the Improvement of .llc great arteries
OF travel from the fran to the sta
ton or the manufacturing center to
the tributary distributing points.
AS one of the foundation activities
Of the BUSINESS life Of the cnuntry II
should be vigorously pushed. pom
state and local officials rests very
largely the burden Of tins responsible
i'y Road. improvement programs n
county and state must b. dotcrmi aed
upon and preparation made for then
completion. The improvement OF
roads should be made IN View Of their
Importance as traffic agencies to the
nation and state az wen as to the
counties. The need of their improve
Inent for Americas sake" and FOR
Americas immediate 1acas ana safe
ty" should be the dominant idea n The
mind of every official hayir, in charge
this work. This dominant idea should
govern both the making OF lcvics in
all units of government. and the Sc
lection of the roads to be improved.
There must be correlation in all
public expenditures for these purposes
whether made by the state. county or
township. Unity Of purpose as well
as harmony in execution should be the
controlling motive for every improve
ment. Make the job fit the greatest
need. Take your bumps with n
grin" is the spirit of today that every
booster should have.
The federal government has aban-
doned the Old methods OF doing things
and has measured UP to larger meth
DDS and greater things. The same must
be done by our highway officials.
These radical new conditions do no;
rf fixoH nd n goo a1n dp J..
signs. nor do they countenance mar
row limitations in the actions of Of
1cials.
Getting the work done is the thing
that the people approve today. The
national government has gone almost
wholesale into the practice Of letting
work without competitive bidding
Where work had to be done and time
was a factor. the best man at hane
was set to work on a cost and profit
basis. Contracts by force accoun
should be utilized much more than il
the past both by state and county of
ficals. The engineering department.
of the state and county will use NOR
originality; their designs should b.
moro flexible. their specifications
must drop the rigid defining clauses
heretofore used and instead must trca
the contractor as a. necessary partner
Time limits are apt 10 hurt rathe
man help the. work. They will nee
10 be dropped or else handled in n neH
cooperative spirit. Labor and ma
t@rial supply difficulties now consti
tute problems of great concern i
every county. Engineers and publ
authorities must help the contraeto
If they want to attain success.
The conditions affecting road i'm
pJovement are unprecedented and ar
changing from day TO day. Through
cut all these changes tn" public off
CialS of this state must rise to III
level Of present events and mcasar
up to the standard Of excellence III
public reqiVics of them. Let roa
building and road maintenance 9
forward upon n larger scale than eve
before, with every effort a fIttin
monument IL the zeal, patriotism an
efficiency Of Americas public sci
wants.