Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-03-01
STATE WILL GET,
MONEYS WORTH
Commissioners Sadler Says
That ''Rat Hole" Method of
Doing Business Is Over

Highway Commissioner Lewis S.
Sadler late today issued statement
in which he set forth very clearly
that there would be mo more throw
ing money into rat holes" in regard
to road construction in pennsylvania.
Governor Sproul has determined
that the Commonwealth, in it's con-
struction of highways, will not be
a party to the making OF an i'm
provement which will have disap-
peared or viii have become useless
before the maturity of the obliga-
ton undertaken to pay the COST
said Highway Commissioner Sadler
today.
The life of the bonds issued to
pay for Pennsylvania highways will
be much shorter than the life of
the roads built" the commissioner
continued. The bonds are to ma
ture in 80 years. 1t would be folly,
and criminal waste of money, if
when the roads were entirely gone
we were still paying off the bonds.
That isn't business. The founda-
tions We are going to put down will
last longer than we live, by a great
many years. The life of the road is
10 be much longer than the life of
the bond. We do not propose to
burden the next generation with the
cost of an improvement made now.
One road system will be i'll the
nature of legacy TO the citizenship
that is coming-like the hundred
year old highways of France are a
legacy 10 the people OF that coun-
try. When our bonds have matured
and been paid off our roads will
still be in the youth OF their service.
That is Governor Sprouts idea; and
| that is the idea of this departm ent."
The construction of permanent
| highways for Pennsylvania includes
a program of Interchangeable routing.
The State highway department will
not, for example. permanently con-
| struct a route which in the course
of time would be diverted SO that
grade crossings could be done away
with. Avoid grade crossings" is
one of the orders issued by Governor
| Sproul. On one western Pennsyl-
vania route not over fifteen miles in
| length twenty-three grade crossings
! have been done away with through
Strengthening the line. The highway
| departme plans for the primary
| highway system includes the elimi-
nation of hundreds of dangerous
grade crossings.
Highway Commissioner Sadler
| next week continues his conferences
with delegations from various parts
| of the State. His engagements in
clude the following:
Monday - George l.. Patterson,
| New Castle Board of Trade; delega-
tions from Lawrence county.
! Tuesday Senator f. f. Jones
| and delegation from Susquehanna
county: Deputy Attorney General
! Charles A. Johnson, Representative
Montgomery county.
Wednesday - Representative Cor
bin and delegation from Mifflin coun-
ty; Representative Shellenberger, en-
| Senator William II. Nanbeck and
| delegation from Juniata county; Dr.
| E. l.. Piper of Export and delegation
| from northern Westmoreland coun-
| ty: Representative Commerer and
delegation from Fulton county: COM
missioners of Erie county.
| Thursday-H. y. Blunt and dele
cation from Carbon county; Norman
G. Ball, Samuel Wilson and others
from Clarion county.
Commissioner Sadler has written
| the commissioner of Carbon, Col
umbia and LuZerne counties, inVit-
! ing them to a conference here Mon
day, Tuesday or Wednesday of next
| week