Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-01-09

, ana other funds available may be
used to some extent for RECONSTRUCT
not make a more pressing demand.
With such a policy we shall be well
sgsnsa may arise in the days that lie
trafiic conditions may face us we
little wot., What loss of revenues
through the destruction of our rail-
! road transportation we can only now
dimly guess. 1t is the part Of prud-
! ence exercise of that self-restraint
and Yankee .sIn thrift exemplitied by our
sRonld not exp on onr bnSd that
emergencies. There is every reason
to believe that the crisis we shall
lace faGe IN i.1 1891 in the adoption Of large
| finitely worse than the difficulties
which we individually or as a State
may face If we shall adopt a program
such as this in the present day. We
and explain our action. confident that
| it will commend itself to the ,judg-
ment of sound business men as a
/ course OF conduct such as they would
faced with such problem such as
| ours.
In my judgment we must now not
merely give an increased emphasis
and increased financial support to the
proper maintenance of our highways,
but we must also decentralize to some
extent the highway administration of
: our State. More and more the towns
have awakened to tho value of the
trained supervisory pc rsonnel that the
judgment they will shortly be ready
| to take the step to secure trained
personnel for supervision in various
! localities. in our State. The State
. m xxytc LII.
by contributions in moderate amounts
| toward the salary of competent su-
pervisors employed by groups of
towns that might voluntarily asso-
ciate themselves for this purpose.
The two great avenues Of wasteful-
in the lack of an efficient handling of
the vast amounts expended by the
various municipalities in our State.
and in the inefficient supervision of
the maintenance work upon our high
ways. The towns and cities during
the past twelve years have them
selves appropriated over $4,000. 900 to
highway work. Both the localities
whole would be tremendously bene-
fitted by the more prudent expenditure
of these funds. These expenditures
have been steadily mounting. reach
ing in 1924 the enormous total of So,
74S.2sO.72. More competent road com
missioners all over our State must be
the final solution of our highway
problems, which are as yet in their in
fancy as our traffic constantly eX-
pands. Twenty-Five thousand miles
Of highways must be intelligently de-
veloped and maintained for the maxi
mum service of all the citizens of ouI
State and our visitors from other
lands.
| At present if road commissioner
does not observe the instructions OF
his road plans 1t is not q crime. but
a mistake. With an experienced
commissioner the State Highway
Commission would be very greatly re-
lieved in the burdens It now faces OF
consultation and advice on road prob
lens in every town. The, mainte-
nance and construction work could be
very much more effectively handled
in the field with the close cooperation
that could be developed between the
Highway Department and the loca
supervisor. He would be still re-
sponsible solely to the locality thai
chose him for the expenditure of the
funds they should severally appropri'
ate for road work. A very analogous
situation has worked out to the won
derful advantage of every interest
concerned in connection with oul
school system. and the appeal is ever
more persuasive for q prudent expen-
diture of the money upon our roads
because the enormous waste OF inefi-
kcient handling is so Immediately ap'