Evening star., 1941-11-07
Road Policy
OF Federation
Is Questioned
County Maintenance
Stand Explained in
Talk by Carson

The adVlSabllty OF returning 10
the old system of highway main
tenance by the county as against
the present setup in which the
State Roads Commission repairs
the highways was questioned last
night by William A. Carson, chair
man of the Prince Georges County
Board of Commissioners, in address
ing the monthly meeting of the
county Federation of Citizens AS
sociations.
The federation had just reiterated
its stand on the issue by approving
the motion of its Roads Committee
chairman, John Riggles of the Sea-
brook Citizens Association, calling
for a return to the old system. Mr..
Carson, whose talk began series
by county officials explaining prob
lens in county government, pointed
out that the county has no ma
chinery for the repair OF its high
ways and that two maintenance
county requiring separate sets OF
machinery and forces of labor would
be needed He estimated the cost
of such establishments at between
100000 and $250,000. State Roads
Commission supervision and its en-
gineer would have to be employed,
he added
Complaints about the work done
by the State Roads Commission,
and particularly about the repairs
it has failed to make, have been
widespread in the county recently
and have been frequently echoed
in the meetings of the Board of
Commissioners.
Backs Higher Home Limit.
The Office of Production Manage
to raise the $4,000 ceiling on new
homes Daniel Greene. delegate of
the Queens Chapel Citizens ASso-
citation, introduced the motion. Mr.
Greenes motion calls for a ceiling
OF $4,000 where land and labor costs
are high.
The present system of road repair
Ing was discussed at length by Mr..
Carson. Last year. he said. the re-
bate to the county by the State
Roads Commission was approx
mately S132 900. of which so per cent
was retained by the State commits
sion to be added to the new roads
construction fund. OF the remaining
sos 900. S29 1000 was rebated TO the
incorporated towns in the county,
he said. The county has total of
about sol miles of county roads and
191 miles of State roads, he added.
All money used by the commission
ers to repair roads must come from
the gasoline tax rebate, he said.
The commissioners this year have
asked for the full impounded fund,
amounting to $4,000. Mr.. Carson
said, revealing that plans call for
about 20 miles of roads during 1912
and 1943, at a cost of $4,000 each
year.
Gives Praise to Orem.
Nicholas Orem, county superin-
tendent of schools, was praised by
Mr.. Carson, who said. the school
board under Mr. Orem had worked
miracles. Mr.. Carson called the
school problem 'acute" and pointed
out the difficulties of educating
county children without proper
equipment An application for Fed
eral funds to provide additional
school buildings and equipment has
been rejected, Mr.. Carson said he
understood. Federal officials have
decided, he said, that Government
workers in the county are not de-
fense workers within the meaning
Of the Lanham Act
Luis Granados, chairman of the
federation's County Affairs Com
mittee, who introduced the speaker,
led the informal discussion which
followed Mr.. Carson's talk
New member associations in the
federation will be credited on their
1912 dues if they Join the federation
now, it was voted on a motion by
Mr.. Greene.
The West Lanham Hills Citizens
Association and the Clearwood
Citizens Association were admitted
to membership.