The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1922-01-10
Mr.. FORTS MISTAKE

Editor Star: This is not criticism
of your article, suggesting that the
county commissioners employ road
engineer. You make some good points,
but you are in error when you say
there are about 200 miles of public
highways in the county. The facts are
there are more than 200 miles in the
fourth commissioners district, and
certainly not less than 800 miles in
the county. Now under your plan of
the one crew system, all would be CEN
tralized at one point for a given time,
say that twelve months be equally di-
vided among the five commissioner
districts. 1t seems reasonable to say
that this one crew could not construct
more than 25 miles of road in a year.
Under your proposed system, $40
miles of road wouldn't get anything,
not even the slightest repairs. In the
fourth district alone there are more
than 200 bridges and culverts. Under
your system what would become of
these? No, Mr.. Editor, your one crew
system will not work. This is saying
nothing derogatory to a county engi-
neer, but you must remember that in
almost every case where other coun-
ties are constructing highways under
the supervision of an engineer, the
county has bonded for that purpose,
and in most cases these highways are
built under contract. Certainly you
would not recommend this mode Of
construction, having only the pitiful
sum that is provided in the annual
road budget. Those counties which
have built a system of public high
ways have bonded again and again to
do it, and only have built the most
important lines, and their lateral
roads (of which we have so many in
Marion county, practically get moth
ing. If Marion county ever expects to
take her place along side her sister
counties in road building she must do
as they have done, bond and re-bond,
almost without end. In that case, an
engineer is absolutely essential and
more, we must get down to the con-
crete built roads which will stand the
ever increasing traffic, and have a
maintenance fund ready. Then, and
not until then, have we done some
thing. N. A. Fort.
Mr.. Fort errs in thinking that the
Star, because it favors a county road
department under an engineer, also
favors castiron system of keeping
the said crew in one place for stated
time, no matter what the need might
be in other places. That would be no
business at all. A concentrated road
department would be like an army-it
could send detachments or even shift
its entire force to threatened point,
much more quickly and effectually
from one base than from five. That
is the system followed in some of the
leading counties of Florida and in
counties all over the United States.
At present, the county has two con-
vict gangs, numbering twenty odd
men, and from thirty to fifty free men
working in small parties. In some re-
spects, each small party equals in ex-
pense the whole force if it was concen-
trated. The convicts are now work
ing in two places. If they worked in
one, and then in the other, they would
do the same work in less time, or
more work in the same time The
same way with the free labor. 1t
should be all together, finish one place
and go on to another. In cases of
emergency work, like a washout on a
road, or broken or burned bridge, a
sufficient detachment should be sent
to it.
Mr.. Fort is correct about the lateral
roads. They are the veins of county
transportation, while the highways
are the arteries. And they will never
become good roads as long as they
are worked on only by small parties.
They should be rebuilt, each in its