The Daily Morning Journal And Courier

HIGHWAY COMMISSIONER'S WORK

His Experience in Visiting Towns-

Traveling Expenses of the Office.

"The path of Highway Commissioner James H. Macdonald," says yesterday's Hartford Times, "is not strewn with roses, or if here and there a soft, beautifully tinted petal is to be seen, many thorns lie in close proximity to it.

When the single-headed commission was created by the law of 1897, and Mr. Macdonald was appointed commissioner at a salary of $2,500, with $500 for expenses, he expected that there would not be a demand made on his time for traveling.

He entertained the hope that he could direct the construction of roads from his office by conferences with selectmen and by correspondence.

The towns had two years' experience in road-building with state aid, and there was reason to think that his experience was sufficient to enable them to continue the work intelligently and economically.

"But, as a matter of fact, the towns are leaning more than ever on the highway commissioner for advice and direction. Perhaps changes in the position of selectmen account for this more than anything else. It is not the only reason, however, for in the case of towns where the personnel of the office has remained unchanged the same disposition to rely on the highway commissioner is noticeable. The result of this want of self-reliance on the part of the towns is that Commissioner Macdonald is compelled to visit towns where roads are in course of construction oftener than the legislature intended he should when the appropriation of $500 was made for the expenses of his office. Mr. Macdonald is spending at the rate of $75 a month for traveling expenses. He has appealed to the board of control for an additional appropriation for expenses.

"Some people are of the opinion that the officials of the town provide for the creature comforts of the commissioner. That is a mistaken opinion. These sparsely settled rural towns, where the almightiness of the cent, not to speak of its rich relative, the dollar, is recognized in every calculation, have no ambition to play the part of the host to a state official. They are more modest in their social aspirations and do not deprive Mr. Macdonald of the privilege of paying his own board bill. It doesn't matter that the commissioner's visit is made on the town's invitation and for the town's benefit. Mr. Macdonald was in a rural town the other day. When he had inspected the road with the local officials and transacted other business, it was dinner hour. A cosy, inviting hotel was within sight, and one of the officials pointed to it with the remark that Mr. Macdonald could get a good dinner for very little money in it. Mr. Macdonald, who likes company at table, invited the selectman to take dinner with him at his (Mr. Macdonald's) expense.

"'Much obliged, but I've got to go home, as Amanda (his wife) will be wondering what keeps me,' was the selectman's reply.

"It is impossible not to admire the selectman's domesticity while condoling with the genial commissioner in being obliged to dine alone.

"It is to be feared that the officials of some towns are wofully ignorant of the law or culpably careless in observing its requirements. The law requires that the selectmen of each town shall certify that the road has been constructed according to contract before the town's share of the state appropriation shall be paid.

On a recent visit to six towns Mr. Macdonald discovered that the state roads in them were being constructed without the supervision of a local inspector; and that the contractors had ample opportunity to violate the contracts and give the towns imperfectly constructed roads.

How the selectmen of these towns could have certified that the roads had been constructed according to contract is more than the commissioner is able to understand. In another town the commissioner found that one selectman was the contractor, and his colleague on the board of selectmen, inspector!"