The Oregon daily journal., January 21, 1917, Page 52, Image 52

THE OREGON SUNDAY JOURNAL PORTLAND. . SUNDAY I MORNING, . 'JANUARY 211911
FEDERAL OFFICIALS
" :.
i'U. S, Office of Public Roads
l' r Draws Proposed Draft
'From Its Past Experience.
f1
LEGISLATION IS PENDING
' .Klffbway Cod JU vision of State Bead
Scheme to Be Bought by Measure
BtMl oa 8urgestloas Mads.
MULTNOMAH FALLS FROM THE HIGHWAY
4r
The model highway code for Oregon,
, which was drafted by United States of
,flce of public roads on the request of
.the state association of county Judges
' r'and commissioners has been received
-V' lud la now being considered by the
i - j (committee which is preparing the draft
t j of a revised code for submission io
' the legislature.
. f . The model code prepared by the fel
! ; ". eral officials follows the standard
,?is based on Information and experience
accumulated during years of active
Study and cooperation In the various
states of the union.
' It provides for a non-partisan state
; highway commission with power to ap
point a state highway engineer who Is
t given supervising authority over coun
ts' ty and district roads from an engineer
ing point of view. It also provides for
la uniform road accounting system for
i counties, the abolishment of road su
pervisors and the removal of all high
' jway matters from the duties of coun
- Ity surveyors. It established the office
'' of county engineer and when two or
i more counties wa i v.a-
1 trict engineer.
The first section of the proposed
code creates, a state highway commls
' slon, two members of-which are to be
! appointed by the governor, one irom
4 each of the two majority political par
ities, for a term of four years. The
?tate- engineer is by virtue of his of
fice made a third member of the com
'mission. The two appointive members
"., are to receive a compensation of J50j
" fper annum, together with necessary!
expenses in connection with their du
l ties.
Analyzing the proposed code, L. I.
Jiewes, district engineer of the United
1 '.States offrce of public roads, says:
J Politics Removed.
' "It Is desirable, particularly in those
' : states which have more lately begun
state highway activity, to provide a
, -commission which shall, in a sense,
constitute a deliberative body con
stantly watching and guiding the hign
' way policy of the state. Such a body
baa been found useful, particularly if
v; ilt can be freed from political influ
ences. To give It continuity the terms
" of Its members overlap and then con
tinue four years. A direct method of
-Ms ! eliminating politics is to recognize
frankly the major political groups in
- , the appointment. Where the experi-
' ence and knowledge of any state offi
cer are particularly valuable in the
work of a state highway oommission.
. there Is good reason to make use of
uch ability. Therefore, the office of
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Photograph by Olfford and PrentlM.
This photograph shows the proximity of the Colombia, river highway to Multnomah Falls (height 607
feet). In the background is seen the foot bridge whence a close view of the falls Is obtainable
state engineer Is drawn upon In the
present proposed code to supply a
member of the commission. It lg
thereby equipped at the outset with
information and experience acquired
at the expense of the state. The high
way commission, it is thought, be
comes more serviceable to the people
if the salary of the appointive mem
bers be made nominal.
"The commission shall appoint a
bona fide state highway engineer and
fix his salary. It Is the Intention to
have the commission represent the peo
ple, and to confer with the governor
and the legislature, and equally to
provide that the state highway engi
neer shall have authority concerning
technical details of highway construc
tion and maintenance. The commission
shapes the general policy, and the
state highway engineer carries It ou
in keeping, with the best modern high
way practice. It can, for example, be
responsible for the recommendation at
least of the layout of main highway.
The policy of the commission would
necessarily include a study of the
state with respect to highways, the
selection of the order of Improvement,
and tho decision of qneatloes of the
distribution of atato funds under the
law. . ; -
The date highway engineer should
be responsible to the stats highway
commission, but should also be a man
of Independence of thought. The com
mission should expect of him positive
suggestions supported by technical
knowledge for the enterprise- HI
hands should not bo tied by the oom
mission in matters of his profession.
Saty of Highway Xaioor.
The state highway engineer shall
bo the custodian of records, and with
the approval of the commission, shall
provide a general highway plan of the
state based on the system of state
roads tentatively established, with the
Alstlnct understanding that aucn
rystem mar be Increased not to ex
ceed 10 per cent of the mileage of the
state. It has come to do well under
stood that for the best, results there
must be In each state a definite plan
or layout or program of construction,
and that this layout or program should
Include the first roads to be made in
the state. To enable an intelligent lay
i out of roads. th state highway engl
I reer Is empowered to secure Informa
tion from the counties under penalty
He must investigate the best systems
of construction and maintenance in
relation to materials and other local
conditions. To be of full service to
the state, he is also required to fur
nish Information and data to local au
thoritles uDon reauest. His major du
ties, however, will be the preparation
of plans and estimates and specifica
tions for state roads, and the carrying
out of the construction and mainien
ance of such roads.
There Is created a state highway
fund for the construction of state
I highways. After there has been de
ducted from that fund surnciem money
to run the state highway department.
or overhead and engineering expenses,
and an amount sufficient to maintain
state highways already built, and a
sum sufficient to meet the federal aid,
the remainder Is apportioned to the
several counties- In proportion to their
valuation (excluding the valuation of
cities of over 6000) for direct aid to
those counties which apply for it In
further construction of section of
state roads within the borders of the
respective counties. With the present
resources of the state. It Is doubtful 'f
the residue of the state highway fund
will be any considerable sum.'
Nevertheless, the principle of at
tribution remains in force because, al
though the state highway commission
is empowered to Improve a section of
state highway and pay the entire cost
from the state highway fund and from
the apportionment of federal funds.
whenever that la done the entire cost
of such" a road la charged against
money due any county from the real-
dual state highway fund In the future;
In other words, whenever the state
funds Increase over and above over
head, maintenance, and the matching
of federal money, there comes Into ex
istence a residue or balance for the
benefit of those counties which have
not yet participated In any previous
expenditure of federal or state funds.
The proposed law thus provides that a
county shall not be at a disadvantage
If It can not now receive any direct
distribution of state highway funds.
nor shall it be at a disadvantage In the
long run because federal money and
state money shall have been expends!
in other counties, nor shall a county be
the gainer in the long run If It la
deemed desirable Immediately to con
struct sections of the state highway
system within its borders.
Comprehensive oad System.
"It is recognised that any compre
hensive system of state roads will re
quire a period of years for completloa.
and It seems desirable la the ugnt v
past experience to allow some Initia
tive on the part of the counties In the
selection of sections of such estab
lished highway system as fall within
the borders of the respective counties.
For such work, however. It la good
practice to have the counties back u?
their initiative with funds, and when
the state aids a county in the construe
tlon of such section of highway from
the residual fund it is provided that
the county is to pay SO per cent of the
cost ana tne state the remaining v
per cent from the state funds. The
completion of the ' more Important
state roads Is thus first provided with.
out sacrificing the element of distriou-
tion of state money, but merely post
poning same in view of the Immediate
needs of more important highways and
tne present Inability of some counties
to contribute half the cost of atate
highways.
"At this time it Is extremely doubt
ful if any more equitable distribution
of state and federal money can be
proposed.
"It is held Important for the state
of Oregon that sufficient money be
provided by or on behalf of the state
to meet the federal funds as they are
apportioned, but It la wisely provided
that any present federal and state
funds shall create a claim on behalf
of the counties not participating
against anv future increase In the
state highway fund, beyond the needs
for overhead, maintenance and match
ing of federal money.
Source of State mad.
"To provide a state highway fund
the code suggests that the state raise
the present quarter mill tax to half a
mill. To do this if it Is necessary to
amend the law creating a tax limita
tion nf 8 nor oAnt hv tmDtlll( hi C h
way appropriations. This suggestion
necessary expenditures for - extensive
repair and reconstruction of state-built
and state-aided 'roads through the neg
lect of maintenance. Originally It was
thought that when a state had bunt a
road at considerable expense to the
state, a town or county would gladly
maintain auch road. Uta fortunately
experience soon demonstrated that the .
locality would not .maintain the road.
Several states then suggested that the
state allow the county a certain part
of the cost of such maintenance and -again
the county or the town failed to
maintain. When It was found that the
(OoattDWO oa roilmrteg Pmi)
Where the Utmost Is
Demanded of a
Motor Truck
In the open country, building new
roads.
In the forests, hauling out the product
of the mills.
In municipal service, where speed and
dependability are requisites, along with
minimum of upkeep-
is considered a direct method of par
tially meeting any present financial
embarrassment of the state. It Is not
the only solution. The state highway
fund shall also receive automobile
ruTAmiM atnA fln.i Tti Aealrabilitv
of automobile revenues for the state'
highway fund Is fully established by
the experience of many statea. It is
true that the counties are thereby de
prived of a certain amount of money
available for local roads, but It Is rec
ognized that the counties are already
spending many times as much money
as Is provided for the state highway
fund. Furthermore, the state high
ways to be improved will be roads
most used by automobiles, and the
automobile license is based upon the
principle of reimbursing the com
munity for excessive wear or increased
expense of highways due to their presence.
"If the state wished to create a fund
by the issuance of bonds, it Is desir
able to point out here that such bonds
should be of short term, probably not
more than 15 years, and of the serial
type. To postpone the burden of taxa
tion of such bonds, a deferred serial
bond could easily be adopted, which
postponement of payment for an In
terval, say, of five years during active
road construction, and thus bring the
period of Increased taxation for re
demption to coincide with the fullest
use of the highways In which the
money la invested. But under no cir
cumstances should such borrowed
money be used for maintenance, and
preferably not for overhead.
"The proposed code provides ade
quate means for the state to be as
sured of the necessary rights of way
before construction commences.
Am to effalirtowasoo.
The question of maintenance has io
the past proved a very troublesome
one. Many states have Incurred un-
is t,he universal favorite.
Marion and Multnomah counties are
but two of many which have found
the Packard best suited to the duties
of a truck in county service.
The complete line, with models rang
ing from the sizes best adapted to city
heavy or light delivery, to the five-ton
truck for the heaviest construction
work, will be
On Display in The Armory
See Us There
Frank C. Riggs Company
Portland, Ore.
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of. the Powell Valley Road and St. Helens
BITULITH1C PAVEMENT
Road, (Constructed With
(GcBiniceiPcHil
Sherlock Bulldlna