Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-09-06

anu tNGINtEkING
SHOULD 60 TOGETHER
The Publicity Committee Of the
Maine Association Of Engineers has
had brought to its attention that dur
ing the last three weeks speaker at
meetings Of the Farm Bureau has
been telling his hearers that the
highway problem is not an engineer
ing problem" and that engineers
cannot give q broad economic view
to the question" also that highway
commissioners should not be engi-
neers."
The Committee Of the Maine Asso-
citation Of Engineers finds that fifteen
states provide by law for engineer
commissioners or that one or more
engineers shall be on their board OF
Il ghway commissioners, and IN one
ate the law provides that the nigh
way commission shall consist OF
board of FIVE engineers. Thirty -elght
states provide by law that the execu-
tive officer Of the state highway de-
partment shall be either the CHIEF
engineer or the state highway engl-
reer, and practically all OF these
state laws require that this officer
must be an engineer having from five
to ten years experience in highway
construction and maintenance.
In Ave other states, whose execu-
tive officer is a single commissioner,
the appointee is an experienced high
way engineer. In the remaining five
states the law does not specify that
the commissioner or director must be
an engineer and information Is lack
ing as to whether or not the positions
in these five states are held by engi-
neers.
1T would seem from the above
statements. which may be checked
up by any one interested upon APP
plication to the Bureau Of Public
Roads, Washington, D. c.. that the
concensus of opinion with respect to
this matter throughout the United
, States is slightly at variance with
the statements above referred to
which have been given such wide
publicity" says the statement OF the
publicity committee.
This information we find also to
be on file at the office of the State
Highway Commission at Augusta and
,, that this information has been on file
for a long time in summarized form
as furnished by the Bureau of Pub
lie Roads.
"Our investigation also discloses
that the chief of the Bureau of Pub
lie Roads, who under the Secretary
Of Agriculture Of the United States
has the execution and administration
of the Federal aid act, is an expert
enced highway engineer, having been
prior to his appointment to this Of
, flee the state highway engineer Of
one of the middle western states.
"Practically the whole staff of that
office are engineers. There are thir-
teen district offices throughout the
country, each in charge of an eX-
perienced highway engineer. The
most of these engineers have received
! their training through the state high
| way departments. The staff in each
of these district offices, aside from
| the clerical force, are all trained
| highway and bridge engineers.
1T would thus appear that the
| Federal Government, as well as
majority of the state governments,
view the question of highway con-
/ struction and maintenance as decid-
| edly one of an engineering nature.
| Highway construction, mainten-
ance and operation is essentially a
! problem of transport and many
schools and colleges are now special
! izing in the training of engineers for
this work. Several state highway de-
! partments have attached to their
/ staffs transport engineer, whose
functions, broadly speaking, are to
| study and provide for the use and
operation of the highways. includ-
| ing the handling and regulation Of
| traffic. Highway transportation is in
no wise a competitor of railroad
transportation. 1t is, on the other
hand, supplement, as was so ably
shown by Elisha Lee. vice president
of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
I'm a recently published article Mr..
| lee points out that many classes of
freight can be moved much more
economically by trucks on the high
| ways than by the railroads and Mr..
Lee advocates the development of
store door collection and delivery by
trucks to supplement railroad
freight service and to obviate eX-
| pensive terminal charges.
1T is generally conceded that the
railroads have in their service as ex-
ecutives many of the ablest men in
/ the country. The committee has be-
fore it partial list Of railways
! whose executives are men of engi-
neering education, training and expe-
rience. The list contains the names of
thirty seven railroads. we'll distribut-
ed over the whole United States.
Such roads as the Atchison. Topeka