Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-09-08
MONTANA AND ITS ROADS

ONE of the resolutions adopted
~ at the Y G Bee Line conven
ton recently convened in Living
ston expresses two opinions with
which The Tribune is in accord.
The first one is that the state
highway commission should be
thoroughly business proposition
and that it should be kept entirely
out of politics.
The second one is that the auto
mobile tax money which is RAISED
through state licenses should bs
turned into a central fund to ot
used for the construction of road'
or the engineering connected there
with or the maintenance pertaining
thereto.
Indeed, the resolution to which
we are making reference contain
enough common sense and prac
teal suggestion so that it is worth
while and we herewith print i
again in its complete text:
Be 1t Resolved, That we
commend the efforts that have
been put forth during the past
year by the state highway
commission to arrange and for
ward the construction of a sys-
tenn of public roads for Mon
tana which shall be satisfac-
tory and efficient when they
are broaght to completion.
Praise is due also at this time
for the maintenance that has
been put upon the federally
constructed roads by the COM
mission. We express the opin-
ion that the construction OF
scientific roads is the best eco
nomic investment that can be
made at this time for the bene-
fit of all of our people. We
earnestly urge that the state
highway commission should
be a thoroughly business prop
osition and that it should be
kept entirely out of politics.
We note with extreme dis
pleasure that politicians of all
parties have been accustomed
to offer wholesale criticisms
regarding the road business OF
Montana, without the presen-
tation of the specifications
upon which this criticism may
properly rest, provided it has
n virtue at all. Every state
in the union, we believe, now
has a commission. Apparent
ly under the federal statute,
there would be no other way
of doing business with the gov
eminent. Our state highway
commission should be supplied
with an adequate fund where
by it may perform the func-
tions intended in connection
with its creation. All auto
mobile tax money should be
turned into a central fund to
be used only for the construc-
ton of roads, or the engineer
ing connected Herewith, or
the maintenance pertaining
thereto. This fund may be
supplemented in other ways
1t should be adequate. In this
way, we may largely, if not en-
tirely, get away from the issue
of bonds for the construction
of public roads. The legisla'
ture of Montana ought to give
this matter serious attention.
The delegates to the Y U Z
Line convention understood gu
we'll the present federal road st
ute. Every state now has a ST
highway commission. The poslt'
is correctly taken that there d.
not seem to be any other way
doing road construction with I
eral aid except through a st
commission. This being the ca
we take it for granted that a st
highway commission is a neeess'
It is further correct to say t
this commission must be primal
q business organization and t
it ought not to be a political fc
ball. The principle of a CONN
sion is one question. The fu
tons of the organization are 81
another matter. All through
Stewart administration there W
many republican newspaper
more especially the Record-He
of Helena-that were perpetu'
casting dirty filings at the s.
highway commission without a !
s~entation of the specificati