Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-03-21
.ATE HIGHWAY
DEPARTMENT NOW
WELL ORGANIZED
Commission Retains Men OF
Experience to Have Charge
of Extensive New Program

Appointment of George II. Biles to
be Assistant Highway Commissioner
and other officers in the States High
way Department under the reorgan-
ization act has been followed by an
nouncement of Howard w. Fry, OF
Lancaster. to be secretary, and NJ. II.
James, of Harrisburg. TO be chief
of the Bureau of Information.
Governor William c. Sprouts ap-
pointment of Mr.. Biles is a recog-
milton of his services during the war
when in addition to being in charge
of all maintenance he was acting
chief engineer and directed con-
Struction work.
The system of organization and
operation of the Division OF Mainte-
nance created by Mr.. Biles has been
pronounced by United States gov
ernment officials, the Russian Com
mission of Ways and Communication
and other authorities as the most
comprehensive in existence.
Before coming 10 the State High
way Department in 1So1, When ne
was appointed chief craftsman, Mr..
Files saw extensive service as an en-
gineer in the Department of Puollc
Works, City of Philadelphia, where.
in 1904, he qualified for prlnclpaI as
sistant engineer. He had been with
the State Highway Department less
than a year when from chief drafts
man be became division engineer in
charge of the central and portion
of the eastern counties of the state,
taking Up the early experiments on
btuminous road materials. lie de-
signed and constructed the famous
"Lewistown Narrows' model road,
the first built under the Sproul high
way act. He also designed and built
H. Il Of n
was appointed assistant 10 the chiet
engineer December l, 1872, and in
1913 was put in direct charge OF all
maintenance.
Col. Chler just Home
Colonel William d. Uhler. who re-
Gently returned from army service, is
conceded TO be one of the best road
engineers in the United States. He
was appointed chief engineer of the
Pennsylvania State Highway Depart
ment April I. 1915.
Mr.. Uhler secured a leave of alb
sence from the Highway Department
carly in 1918, and was named major
in the motor transport corps. Very
shortly afterward he was promoted
To be a lieutenant colonel and as
such. had charge of the operations
division. He also represented the
War Department on the United
States Highways Council, and acted
as assistant to Major General George
Colonel Uhler returned TO the High
way Department shortly before the
beginning of the present year.
Colonel Chler is native of NaZa-
reth. Pa. He was with the engineer
ing department of the Lehigh Valley
Railroad from 1890 to 1895, and
later was with the Queen Anne Rail-
road for eight years in various ca
pacities, from assistant engineer to
general manager and chief engineer.
In 1908. after four years as county
roads engineer for Caroline county,
Maryland. Colonel Uhler vas put in
charge of surveys and plans for the
Maryland State Roads Commission,
and later in charge of maintenance.
In 1912 he resigned to become prin-
cipal assistant engineer of the Phila-
edlphia Bureau of Highways. He was
appointed chief engineer of the State
Highway Department by Governor
Brum baugh.
Under the administration of Gov
ernor Sproul it is planned TO create
a bureau which will be of service to
the hundreds of townships OF Penn
sylvania. The bill signed several
days ago by Governor Sproul, pro-
viding for the reorganization of the
Highway Department, creates the
position of township commissioner.
Commissioner Sadler has named
Joseph W. Hunter as the township
commissioner.
Hunter Widely known
Mr.. Hunter is widely known
throughout Pennsylvania. Since
1890 he has been actively engaged
in his profession of civil engineering
and surveying, turning his attention
directly to the improvement of coun-
" roads. lie was appointed State
Highway Commissioner by Governor
Samuel W. Pennypacker June 2S,
1903. and was reappointed by Gov
ernor Edwin :. Stuart in 1907. In
1911 he was named First Deputy
State Highway Commissioner by
Governor John X. Tener. and this
position he held until this week,
when he was named township COM
missioner.
The new secretary of the State
Highway Department, Howard W.
Fry. was chief clerk of the depart
ment since his appointment, Septem-
Der /, 1914. He is well known to
many hundreds of people through
out the State. For twelve years
State Highway Department he was
a clerk in the Office of the Secretary
of the Commonwealth.
Mr.. Fry is a member of the Ian
caster City Council, representing the
Fifth ward. Before coming to Har-
risburg in 1902 he had an extern
sive legal training.
VI. H. James. chief of the Bureau
of Information, came TO Harrisburg
three years ago as secretary of the
William Penn Highway Association.
He was in charge of the successful
1918 campaign on behalf of the $780,
600, 900 bond issue.