The star-progress. (Opelousas, La.) 1917-1921, 1921-10-19
Mississippi Valley
Association of Highway

Meridian, Miss. Oct. 1S.-Address-
ing the meeting here today Of the
Mississippi Valley Association, on
Highway Construction as cure for
business depression" ]. E. Pennybak-
er, secretary, The Asphalt Associa-
ton, New York, and former chief
Economist, U. s. bureau OF public
roads, made most vigorous plea for
the enforcement of road management
from politics. He warned his hear
ers against the danger to the good
roads movement Of insidious alliances
By good roads associations with or
ganized paving interests, and urged
the letting of contracts this fall for
the relief OF employment. He present
ed a thorough engineering analysis
which showed that in the proposed
billion dollar road program $660,OOO,-
600 would go to the employment of
labor, a sufficient sum to keep 997,-
600 laborers busy $50 days in the year
as well as. $4,000 engineers, inspectors
and other supervisory employees.
ut has been estimated" said Mr..
Pennybacker, that over 100 organi-
cations are now working in the inter-
est Of good roads. Most of these or
PLANTATIONS are praiseworthy in pur-
pose and some Of them are worth
while in their accomplishments. but
we must not overlook the fact that
they are first and foremost moral
influences and that in order to main
tain this moral influence they must
have no faint of commercialism, self
aggrendisement or any Interior pur-
pose whatever. There are great
road building industries today whose
duty it is to provide the best material
they are capable of providing, to pro-
duce the immense quantities required
for the vast bodybuilding program,
to maintain the most reasonable
prices consistent with sound business
practice and to aid public officials, en-
gneers and public welfare organiza-
lions such as ours in the develop
ment of the best business methods
for the utilization Of these materials.
but / say to you, most earnestly thai
there should be no alliance between
any rood-building industry and high
way organization, whether 1t be mem
orial, humanitarian or any other IN
the guise of serving lofty purpose
and the welfare of the nation. Do not
allow any industry to make your or
ganization channel through which
clever craftsmanship may operate with
impunity. This is form of CONNER
cialism not legally dishonest but it is
insidious and dangerous.
Politics, a baneful influence upon
any constructive public work, is more
to &c guarded against in road manage
ment today than ever before because
the vast sums OF money available
for new roads tempt the professional
politician to play the game with these
mighty weapons, not necessarily in a
grating sense but for trading purpo-
ses. You need. then to be vigilent
and firm. Road building is an art
based upon a science. 1t calls for
the specialized knowledge and the ex-
perience Of engineers who make 1t a
life work. The building Of our high
ways should be entrusted to these
trained men and they should not be in
and out Of office at the nod of a politi.
cal leader or through the within Of a
tickle public.
with all this money, all this labor
and all this good will. we must, in
order to go full speed ahead. revise
some OF our Anticipated business
methods with relation to public
roads. We are clinging to the old
! plan OF waiting until spring to lei
road contracts with the result thai
one-half Of the working season is gone
before we get under way. Money lies
idle in banks. costly equipment rusts
by the roadside, contractors fume and
fret III enforced idleness, labor waits
for the call to do its share and al
I because we wait until the time to be
gin in orden to get ready to begin
Your organization could put its great
influence back OF the movement tt
let contracts in the fall You coul.
lower cost of road building by elm
mating many of the contractor
risks. You eoud do a great many
things of a non-technical character
that win uphold the hands of the en-
gineers and aid him in bringing about
the realization of our American ambi
ton to be the best paved country OF
the face of the earth.
Summarizing those steps which
believe your organization can take
not only to help along in a great road
building program beginning now, but
also to insure its continuance along
sound lines. these steps are:
IA A vigorous demand upon your