The Coconino sun., 1924-06-20
BUSINESS, NOT POLITICS,
SHOULD GOVERN ROADS

| was read at the Arizona GOOD Roads
convention held at Prescott last week,
1 and received the approval of the maj
ority of the good road men present:
The problem of how to get more
business and less partisan or factional
politics into highway construction is
| one which is demanding the attention
| of taxpayers throughout the country.
The most expensive material in
road building is the injection of poll
/ tics, often resulting in unfit men on
the job as payment for political
services and expensive construction as
the result Of political or sectional
trades.
| How can this be avoided and level
headed, non-partisan, non-sectional,
| business-like administration be sub
stituted? Business administration
where every employee is engaged and
measured only by a service yardstick
which demands character, training
and efficiency, and where claimants of
! jobs based on political services get
no consideration.
/ 1t is next to impossible to cut out
politics entirely from highway con-
| struction, but many states under
various forms of non-partisan high
way commission have made long
! strides in the right direction.
Oregon and Colorado have develop
ed non- partisan, public-spirited service
under highway commission legislation,
which has resulted in low unit con-
struction costs, brought the various
| districts of the states into closer CO.
operation, and apparently heightened
/ the road buying value of the tax
payers dollar.
We all want good roads and more
of them, but with increasing taxes
we are not getting our moneys worth
in roads and cutting out every possible
waste and inefficiency.
Personally | am convinced that the
. time has come for thoroughgoing
reform in state highway construction
; in Arizona. A reform based on ster-
ling common sense, modern business
methods and a practical budget sys-
! tenn. AS you are aware, for many
; years past, have strongly urged the
enactment of a well balanced high
commission act Our association has
repeatedly gone on record for such
a measure. The legislature has lab
ored earnestly to secure the passage
of this greatly needed legislation, and
in 1920 the people made a determined
effort to secure, by initiation, a
similar measure.
May we not hope that the time has
arrived when without prejudice or
personalities we may, in the spirit OF
service, build highway commission
act so sane, so just, so constructive
and so based on sound economics as to
win the support of all progressive,
forward looking citizens, of whom
am convinced we have majority in
| Arizona.
Such a highway commission act
should be clean-cut, simple, and un-
derstandable. 1t should include a
budget system and dependable sources
of revenue instead of the ineffective
25-27 per cent law. 1t should provide
for a small non-partisan commission,
chosen from different sections of the
state, and preferably representing diff
ferent industries, who should serve for
such terms as would insure, after the
establishment of the law, majority
of trained members and the develop
ment of sound, continuing, well con-
sidered policies.
This commission should have full
charge of the general policies of the
highway department and its finan-
cial affairs, and by appointing an
engineer of experience, could delegate
to him all engineering problems with
the power to build up a trained engIn-
eering and construction force whose
tenure Of office and advancement
would depend solely on their efficiency
and ability to get results on the basis
of economical costs, and not on their
political affiliations or activities.
i Under present conditions, with a
change in the state administration we
are faced every two years with a
pretty general shake-up in the high
way department. New men have to
be trained for special work, much lost
motion occurs, and continuity of policy
is well nigh impossible.
Under the present system, when
factional differences arise, we see a
similar disruption of personnel and
policy to the great disadvantage of
the taxpayer. One of the worst fea-
lures is the lack Of dependable rev.
enues for state construction and to
match federal funds on federal aid
projects, often forcing the state en-
gineer, under our existing 25-27 per
cent law, to undertake unnecessarily
expensive construction in the we'll
i heeled counties in order to hold the
federal funds.
Il This is all unbusiness-like, cum
bersome and expensive, and believe
the remedy is as follows:
Early creation, by legislative enact
ment, Of a practical highway commits
i sion plan, based on successful exper-
ience in other states.
Such plan as would insure nom
partisan, business-like, non-sectional
administration, provide for the abo-
/ lition of the unworkable 25-27 per cent
/ law, and create a sound method of
raising revenues for the construction
! of state highways and to meet APP
preparations on federal aid projects.
Such revenue raising plan should in