Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1925-08-20
EDIT Q RIAL 8
The Highway
Bill

Bill
The highway bill passed by
the Senate this week FIXES the
salary of the State Highway
Engineer at $4,000 year, the
present salary OF that officer, as
fixed by the Highway Commits
sion IS $1,000. Therefore the
bill cuts the Engineers salary
$1,000.
The Legislature will have
made a grave mistake if it pass
es this section Of the Senate bill.
The amount of the salary Of
the Highway Engineer should
be determined BY the Highway
Commission. Two sections Of
the highway under which the
department is now conducted,
follow:
Sec. ., Amend Georgia High
way Laws, Acts of the General
Assembly, 1919, by adding the
following provision to article 3,
section 3, paragraph 2;
"Proyided, further, The State
Highway Board shall determine
the number Of employees, desig-
nate their place cf labor, pre-
scribe their duties, fix their com
lcnsation, and also the salary of
The chairman Gncluding the year
1929 who shall devote all of
his time and attention to the dis
charge of the duties Of his office,
who shall represent the Board
and is vested with all power and
authority Of same when not in
session. No person shall be ap-
pointed to or discharged from
amy position in the State High
way Department without the APP
proval Of the Board, or when it is
not in session by the chairman"
The law as to the Chief En-
eineer his duties, and the con-
troll Of employees under his di~
rection and the power to whom
he is responsible, reads as fol-
lows
Sec, 3. Paragraph I. That
the State Highway Engineer
shall be selected and appointed
by the State Highway Board to
hold office at the will and pleas
ura Of the board; Provided that
said Board may discharge such
engineer at any time or without
cause; that he shall be paid such
alary as the Board may deter
mine and shall be allowed his
necessary travelling expenses in
CURED in the performance of his
duties.
Paragraph ,. That the State
Highway Engineer shall sit with
the State Highway Board in the
transaction of business, but shall
have no vote; and that he shall
act as the executor Of the general
orders and the policies of the
said Board and be executive head
Of that staff Of engineering and
o'fjce employees with power to
employ and discharge the men,
beers of said staff, with or without
cause.
The Highway Commission is
not likely to pay an engineer
more than he is worth, but its
hands should not be tied as the
Senate bill would.
The State Highway Engineer is
entrusted with the spending Of
SIX millions a year. He is en-
gagged in one Of the most intri-
cate and important Of engineer
ing tasks-that Of building and
maintaining roads. Every mile
has its own peculiar problem to
be solved. Under him are
thousands Of men, many Of them
must be highly technical men. 1t
ISM t reasonable to suppose that
Georgia will be able to com
mand the services of an engi-
neer for less than others are
paying.
Recently one Of the State Di-
vision Engineers, working I'M
der the Highway Engineer, re
sgined his position and accepted
a similar one elsewhere at
salary of $1,000, and yet The
serate would pay the chief less
than a subordinate.
We hold no brief for Warren
rem Neel, the present engineer,
but we do know that he is loyal
and honest and has worked hard
and long for the State. We
know that he has remained in the
employ Of the State when he
could have secured more money
elsewhere. However. this edi-
toriai is not a petition for larg-
cf salary for Warren Ncel He
may or he may not be the Chief
Engineer a week or a month
from today He holds his Office
subject to the pleasure Of the
Board and the Chairman when
the board is not in session. But