Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-07-03
The Determining Stage Of
Georo;a H;ohtOay Work
bodybuilding program, based upon
u La cr,aa+od Of tho session of

THE road-bu1ldlng program, paSed upon
laws enacted at the 1919 session. OF
u the Georgia General Assembly, is OF
canital Importance to the Commonwealth s
every interest. Duly carried out, it not only
will effect large savings for agriculture and
business, but also will create fresh oppor-
tunities and develop great fields of resources
now latent. Under this program the State
has, for the first time in her history, COM
nrehensiye coherent policy of highway I'M
proyement by which all the counties, singly
and collectively, will benefit, and by which
the millions of money applied to this purpose
will yield proper returns 1t is hlghly essen
tial, therefore, that the General Assembly
be prepared to take any steps needful to pre-
serve these plans, should it turn out that the
legislation behind them is at all lacking in
constitutionality If such defects! there be,
they are of purely technical nature, sus-
ceptible to speedy cure by the 1aw-maklng
power 1t is greatly to be hoped that no
complication will rise; but if so, all haste
should be made to press through re-enact-
ing measure.
Georgia is at the adolescent stage of good
roads Developments time of hazard as
well as growth Wonderful though the prog
ress she is making, without the right plans
and supports it will not be of sustained
and ultimately fruitful character. AS Mr..
W. r. Neel, State Highway Engineer, point
ed out at the recent meeting of the Georgia
Automobile Association, a thousand and
twenty-eight miles of road are now under
construction or contract with some work
undertaken in every county from the noun
tains to the sea. 1t is gratifying, too, that
in recent seasons county road bond issues
have been voted to an aggregate of approx
imately seventeen million dollars More
money, more labor, more enthusiasm than
ever before are being poured into this basic
enterprise. The State is catching her stride
in a way that bids fair to place her among
the foremost of the nations road makers.
But let no one imagine that what has been
done thus far will suffice, or even itself stand
secure unless still more money still more
labor, still more enthusiasm and skill are
mustered to the mighty task.
To this end the proposed bond amendment
to the, Constitution must be ratified; the
hands of the State Highway Commission
must be upheld; full advantage must be
taken of offers of aid from the Federal Gov
eminent; experiences and breadth of vision
must be emphasized. And if unhappily it
should appear the laws originally passed for
this purpose are in any wise unstable, the
Legislature should take speedy steps to
strengthen them, for Georgia will go back
ward in road construction should she cease
to go vigorously forward.
That she should ever return to the old
planless way of building roads for individual
counties alone, without regard to inter-re-
lated needs and to the larger good of the
Commonwealth, is not to be supposed The
minds of all competent observers found ex-
preston on this point in the remark of Dr.
Strahan, chairman of the State Highway
Board at the Automobile Associations dim
Ter. Counties and townships" said he, .tare
small to supply the key to the problem
of road building in Georgia; our purpose is
to open the doors from room to room, so
that all the people of our State may come to
know one another"
1t is by this policy of correlating and CO.
originating the road work of all counties and
all districts, and by this alone, that the
smaller units will receive their due and the
widest interests at the same time be sub
served The great progress and promise
of our highway work today lie largely in
the fact that this is it's guiding principle
Let US see to it that no narrower view OF
lesser aim is ever taken.