The coastland times with which is combined the pilot and herald of Belhaven and Swan Quarter. [volume] (Manteo, N.C.) 1959-1973, 1960-04-22
A CRITIC DEFENDS
HODGES HIGHWAY
ADMINISTRATION
One Who Is Ever Frank to Name
Blvnders Praises Governors
Courageous Vision
BY VICTOR MEEKINS

By VICTOR MEEKINS ~
For 40 years, there has been COM
plant of one kind or another about
the set-up of everyone of our high
way commissions. Various systems
have been tried out, but there's al
ways something wrong" each time.
Until Governor Hodges made some
changes, there had been widespread
complaint that the Highway Com
mission allowed local politicians to
dictate the roads, whereby the
poor and influential areas were
left in need.
All of these complaints are rela-
tive of course, for it depends on the
sincerity of the official who happens
to hold office. AS always, there
are bad men who flock to and
somehow manage to get into places
where the peoples money or IA
vors can be handed out. One bad
apple can spoil a barrel, and even
in a group of five men, single
skunk can make such stink and
noise as 10 keep a great many
good things from being accom-
plished.
We have had our own misgivings
about anything that savors of re-
moving control of any public agen-
cy far from the people. We be-
lieve in home rule; we believe in
democracy and solidly rooted at
the precinct level. When you have
torn the peoples affairs out of
the healthy soil of community con-
troll, you have destroyed the foun-
dations of civilization.
But we have to admit, that the
present highway commission, in
spite of some foolish things that
are quite Understandable indeed,
(such as the Oregon Inlet Ferry
situation), has done wonderfully
we'll by Dare County, and surround
ing area. Governor Hodges, we are
sure, would not claim all credit
for what has been done for this
area, but we will say again that
during his administration, and with
his highway set-up, no one has a
right to grumble concerning the
awards of highway projects to this
region.
Consider the great amount of
money to be spent here, as COM
pared with the limited number of
people, the small amounts of
wealth, the near complete absence
of industrial activity. the scarcity
of men who will unite and con-
sistently press forward for public
improvements, and we must say
with full emphasis that Governor
Hodges has been good for us and
good to us. We have had several
other good friends, foremost among
them Lindsay Warren who have
looked on us with compassion, who
have given their wise leadership to
these major projects, but we have
gotten a great deal extra because
Governor Hodges too, caught the
vision of the potential of this coast
land and the courage to lay founda-
tion for tomorrows.
We were somewhat hurt that the
Engineering forces of the Highway
Department should have allowed
the shameful situation at Oregon
Inlet to remain uncorrected at such
terrific cost to our people, but we
cannot be critical of a Governor,
who burdened with thousands of
other details, cannot be expected
to follow through with everyone of
them; he must rely on his helpers,
just as your County Commissioners
must rely on various employees and
other elected county officials to
carry out details. Sometime en-
ployes make honest mistakes, some
times they are too lazy to do any
thing; sometimes they do things in
hope of hurting someone they fear.
We cannot complain about the
Governor in this single instance,
had though it be, when we are re-
minded of so much else. In recent
months he has allocated half mil
lion dollars to rebuild the Hatteras
Highway and machinery is on the
ground. We people of the coastland
are anything but patient people. We
expect things to be done over
night. We are deficient in the num-
Der of people who will scrifice their
time and money to make trips in
behalf of the public good. We have
fallen into a bad habit of merely
sitting around and belliaching,
when commonsense ought to tell us
that the rumble of our grumbles
will not go beyond our own door
steps. We have got to learn there
must be united action; there must
ever be some sacrifice by someone
or several; we must wake up to the
fact that officials who never know
of our needs outlined to them in
telligently and within hearing, will
never be able to do anything for
us.
Over four years ago, when so
MANY people We're casting pbOllt all