The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-08-30

people will always grant sums that are shown to be essential and to be spent judiciously and wisely.
 
 REDUCE HIGHWAY COMMIS SsIoN
 There is a tendency among mem bers of the state highway commission to defend themselves against the charge of inefficiency as if it were directed against the commissioners themselves. The charge of inefficiency is directed at the system on which the commission is founded. Doubtless the present commission is functioning as well as any commission so constituted could function. The fundamental criticism is that the commission is too large, and therefore unwieldly, being appar- ently unable to function adequately or to keep detailed check upon the operations over which is it in supreme authority. Its very numbers invite discussions, delays and confusion with out due progress. The second criti- cism is directed against the political nature of the appointments, chosen as they are by political districts and not according to fitness, many mem Der apparently feeling that he owes his first duty to his district instead of to his state.
 The pl9n of building small road sec tions in widely separated communities, is, as has been said before, unwise, and defeats the very purpose of the highway amendment. It is of course expected ultimately that these sec- tions will be united, provided, of course, the money holds out. Mean while, these disunited sections are costly to0 maintain, are falling into disrepair, and are serving hundreds where they ought to be serving thou sands and hundreds of thousands. In other words, the commission, through political trading, is building the dis connected roads first and putting off the construction of through roads un- til later, and possibly until too late.
  and built in connected sections, they would serve the state as whole, and it would be a matter of far less ex- pense and delay to construct the lat erals to connect with the trunk lines Through roads would not only serve the people of the state to the maxi mum, but would actually reduce the total cost both of construction and of maintenance, for it is less expensive to build through roads than to be building numerous roads in widely separated localities. The local roads must be built, it is true, but the com mission, because of the political lean ing of each commissioner towards his district, appears to be envisioning the program in a local instead of in a statewide scope.
 There is much to be said in favor of a board of three men chosen be- cause of outstanding business ability, and not in any payment of any po- litical debt, or for any other reason except fitness for the big job of hand ling construction program of fifty million dollars. It takes big men to do that properly and in a manner to return the utmost public benefit Then, too, the people would feel more confident SAat small board of three able men would control the building program, and not permit it to pass into the political control of those who should give their entire professional attention and best technical knowledge to the character of highway construc- tion, rather than to manipulation for obscure purposes.
 An able and efficient highway com mission would know the inside facts regarding every contract let, the fit ness of each type of road for the ter rain it traverses and for the traffic it is called upon to bear, and other facts which are ad- ministrative as well as technical. The Shelby county road has been sug- BeSCeu Io Ine AeSlsldIure as proper subject for inquiry. Had the highway commission been completely equipped to administer it's trust, that investiga- ton would have been under way as soon as there was suggestion that it was subject calling for inquiry. h. stead of an inquiry, there has been effort to defend the Shelby countv project without an inquiry. Is that 8 mark of efficiency?
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