Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-10-20
OUTLINES SAM:
ROAD POLICY
ON RES|CN|NC
Assemblyman Young Says No
New Work Should Start
Until Prices Are Lower.
BY Special Correspondent.


TRENTON, oct. 20.-The COVER
nor's office today made public the
letter of Asse mblyman David Young
Republican, of Morris county. who
has resigned as a. member of the
State Highway Commission. MIR.
Young, who is regarded as one of
the Keenest of the states public
men, and who led the attack against
the Warrenite bids sometime ago at
a meeting Of the commission, makes
some interesting comment on the sit
uation respecting the cost of COM
pleting the highways under present
prices and the action of Mr.. Ed
wards in removing the old commits
sion. His recommendation to the
governor include the following:
First: To complete the contracts
now under construction and already
made, and for which the money has
already been appropriated. Second.
to stop at once the building of any
rew roads. Third, to arrange at
once for the reconstruction and care
Of the bridges now ready to col
lapse. Fourth. TO organize MAIN
tcnance department that would ade-
quately maintain the roads in safe
and comfortable condition until
prices become normal. OF course, a
policy of this kind would not satisfy
the public. There is too much eff
cheney in it, and too much trying TO
get 100 cents on every dollar. They
would rather talk about water in
public corporations than save 800
per cent in contract work of any
kind, for it is undoubtedly true that
s5S, 100000 spent in roads at pres
ent prices would represent only
about S15,O0O.000 of true value in
normal times"
He also says that the next legisla-
ture should provide for an SlS,OOO'-
900 bond issue to put the highway
bridges in proper condition, should
double the present tax for the build
ing of state highways and should
pass the twenty per cent increase or
license fees for automobiles and
trucks to provide maintenance
money for 1921.
""The cost of both material and la
Dor is so excessive that any general
manager of a private corporation
that would advise new construction
of this magnitude at these prices,
with the possibility of combination
among contractors to sandbag the
public, would be a fit subject for
confinement in the Morris Plains
Asylum" declared Mr.. YounS's let
ter Therefore he recommends the
various things mentioned above a
he carried out during the abnormal
times of the present.
Young's resignation includes a
most interesting defense of the gov
ernors action in removing the for
mer board. He says his party, the
Republican. has criticised the exec
utive for that action. The action
of the political. party referred Il
was based upon the theory that the
former commissioners were abso-
lutely perfect and the work of the
former state highway engineer was
the product of genius. They might
not be so sure if they would visit
some of the work done during their
regime" says the letter
The retiring highway commission
er cites several instances of what
he rcCards as the failure of the old
commission to handle the situation
a il should have been. Following
is interesting comment in the letter
on the political phase of the high
way commission situation:
Continued on page 81