Arizona republican., 1920-10-29
m. Continuity sf tho Program

One of the many reasons why we and all others tnterestsd stats system of good roads urging the adoption of the state highway department bin is because of the continuity of operation it against the dislocation constant changes of the present system of road building. Within the last haif dozen years have had four state engineers, each with notion of his different from the notion the others regarding the location and build ing of state highways. one, having proposed plan whether good bad it has been changed by his locations in have been changed by his successor. And SO 1t would always be under our kaleidoscopic system.
 Also, the state engineer has always labored under the disadvantage of being dependent upon the ties SO that forced into trades with them. resulting in the expenditure of state we'll county funds on roads which do not ana cannot be made to form parts of a useful symmetrical state system. bin there would be of this disIocation and
 Under the proposed state highway department biennial turning in some new direction board bin there would be none of this dslocaton and of five commissioners would be appointed. One of the duties of the board would be prepare within year a map program of proposed highway system That program would represent the ideas of at least four members of the board. for under the law conclusion be finally reached without the concurrence of least four of the commissioners.
 The program thus agreed upon would not be sasiiy susceptible change since the personnel of tAs commission would change very slowly. mem ber passing out each year. Unless reappointed. his place would be taken by who would hesitate to oppose his judgment that of the naturer one of his four associates. So the program decided upon In the first instance would be likely be carried along syrnmetricary a conclusion
 There would be in such board minimum of opportunity for play in politics secticnalism The board could include at most only three members of the political party and 1t would be made of men coming. from each of five sections of the state.
 some objection has been made to ths bin be- cause 1t does not require on the commission the presence of engineers and we flip panty and rresvanuy told that "If you have horse to be shod you take 1t to blacksmith.~ After an the average blacksmith knows very little about horses.
 Any sort of an administration Is best conducted by business men. An administration of good roads system not an exception. An engineer may be. and certainly if he has other qualifications than those of engineer. less competent to lay out a program of good roads than a man wno understands the commercial and industrial needs Of the com rnunites served. Yet if member of com mission is an engineer that qualification be of greater less value.
 For instance. have the communities of A. C. and D. It is desired to build road from A to n. It is question whether the line should be ABn ACD. There is no question of the topography o the country to be consldered the question is whcf line will be tho more beneficial The man com potent to determine this having so. the resul of his finding is turned 10 the engineer to locat the chosen in detail He ahead and build the line without interference by the administration fin details of which 1t may have no knowledge an' needs none.
 The bin proposes the employment of an execu tive officer engineer to have charge of ever detail of actual construction and advise only as the business end of tho commission such as in tn arranging of programs the execution of contracts There is properly left to the engineer. engneerin problems. An engineer is seldom the administrate of policy; he is his best only the head of de partment.