Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-11-10

Federal Goyernmentpxf0Ee |
their laws. and WITHOUT invading the
rights. the prerogatives or the discre- /
ton OF the states in any way repre- |
sentatives of the Bureau of Public !
Roads have been able to steer the To- |
cal legislation away from hidden pit
falls and to secure acts both satis-j
| factory to the State and in complete
harmony with the Federal aid legis-
lation.
| The present law establishing your
State Highway Department is almost
| identical with the model bill which
we have on two occasions within the
last few months submitted to State
| legislatures as our suggestion for
State highway department. We be-
lieve emphatically in the advisory
commission with the single head en-
gineering executive and we believe
that our opinion of this form of COM
mission is based on experience and
the soundest possible Judgment. 1t
is the type of commission which has
been developed in a majority of the
states. after a course of hard knocks
and costly experience. 1t lends itself
most easily to cooperation with the
Federal Government; it centralizes
local decisions affecting State high
ways and avoids the subdivision OF
the State into districts. a practice
which inevitably associates itself with
Ia political distribution of funds. The
work of highway department is
! I.~, xeriy, ri
ence indicates that an engineer execu-
ing, if he is a good executive, is bet
ter than non Technical executive,
equally good as an administrative Of
ficer. The organization and esprit de
| corps of the personnel under a single
headed commission is invariably more
efficient and loyal than where the
chief authority is dissipated
/ mention these details as general
comments on the form of highway
department which the Bureau OF
Public Roads invariably recon-
mends. The fact that they apply to
the highway department of Maine is
one of the fortunate details which
make your legislation of 1918 appear
to have been so widely passed.
I note from the 1920 report of the
State Highway Department that the
mileage Of gravel roads. on your pri-
mary system is at the present time
something over seventy-five per
cent. 1 am not informed as to the
annual cost of maintaining SO large
a mileage Of gravel roads under the
conditions existing in Maine during
an average summer but l know it
must be very high, considering the
service which these roads give YOU
and while the details Of the Federal
policy with respect to types of con-
struction under the new law have
not yet been worked out, 1 am in
clined to think that cooperation will
be easier if the state plans to build
larger mileage of higher type work.
I do not say this as indicating that
the government is going to bring I'M
due pressure on the highway depart
ment to alter their policy. The mat
ter will work itself out automatically
because the maintenance require
ments of the new law are very Spe
cific. rather severe, and if not met re-
suit in an actual loss Of construc-
ton funds TO the State! This con-
diton has not existed under previous
Federal aid legislation and because
Of the specific nature of the re-
quirements in the new act it is quite
clear that the slightest failure from
any cause whatever-lack of funds.
4 Of time, of equipment. of personnel,
Y or unexpected traffic or weather con-
ditions. cannot be accepted as ex-
cuse for failure to maintain, and the
State will probably find that the cost
of keeping up its gravel roads to the
standard required by the Govern
ment will be almost impossible.
My personal opinion is that a close
study of conditions will probably re-
veal that it would be also an uneco-
nomical task because your roads
could be otherwise financed and con-
structed in such way as actually
to reduce the annual cost. The solu-
ton probably lies in the construction
Of higher types of road with a high
er initial cost than gravel roads but
considerably less annual mainten-
ance.
On the whole l consider the State
of Maine in the best possible cond-
ton with respect to its highway ad
ministration to continue satisfactory
cooperation with the Federal Gov
eminent and it is because of such
conditions and such relations in a
large number Of states that the Con-
gross has seen fit to confirm past
Federal aid poicies and continue APP
preparations for cooperative road
construction. Any contemplated
changes should be considered most
carefully and undertaken only on the
definite assurance that Cooperation
with the Federal Government will be
improved and not hampered by I'M
necessary changes.
Governor Bakers Address