Jasper County Democrat, Volume 19, Number 84, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 January 1917 — Resolutions Adopted By the Indiana State Organizations Highway Committee Recently [ARTICLE]

Resolutions Adopted By the Indiana State Organizations Highway Committee Recently

■ 1. That we favor the creation of a State Highay Department conducted on a basis of npn-rpartisanship and efficient y. * ■ 2. That the State Highway Commission should of four members |ind hot more than two of them from any one political party. 3. That the State Highway Commission be appointed by the gover- • . ' ■ ■ c I nor. . : ' 4. That the members of the State Highway Commission serve without pay other than their actual 5. Tl?at the state highway engineer be appointed by the commission, and serve at the pleasure of the commission so long as he is efficient. ' .• 6. That the commission shall have power to fix the salary of its engineer. 7. That the commission shall have, power to get the best man for state highway engineer, either within or without the state. 8. That the state shall give aid in the constructing of roads, the county spying 50 per cent, and the state or the state and national Government paying 50 per cent. 9. That the state shall give aid only for those roads forming a connecting series of main market roads approved by the commission. 10. That thp initiative in construction be left with the county. - 11. That all plans and specifications for such roads be subject to the approval of the state highway engineer. 12. That the contracts for building such roads, shall be subject to the approval of the state highway engineer. * 13. such roads shall be constructed under supervision /)f the state highway engineer. 14. That the state maintain all roads built xylth state aid and all roads built by counties excepted by the state commission as a state road. , ' - 15. That upon petition of fifty freeholders of a county £he plahs, specifications and contracts for the construction of a road, costing more than $2,000 per mile, other than a main market road, by the county shall be subject to the approval pf the state highway engineer, and upon a like petition the work shall be subject to the supervision of the state highway engineer, but paid for by the county. 16. That the state engineer give advice and assistance to the’county road officials when requested. 17. That the state engineer have authority to require county and township road officials to give him such information of their local road conditions as he may see fit to request. 18. That the State Highway Department be financed by general tax levy and by such other indirect taxes as may be available. 19. That the counties provide funds for their portion of the cost of roads built with state aid either by tax or bonds of the county. 20. ’ That where roads receiving state, aid pass through towns and cities, that state aid should be allowed inside the city limits in proportion to aid given outside the city limits. 21. State aid for bridges on state aid roads should be limited to SIO,OOO for any single bridge. Federal Aid. If a State Highway Department is established it means that Indiana will receiye her share if federal aid, amounting to $2,109,000. She cannot receive federal aid without establishing a State Highway Department. All states in the Union excepting Indiana, South Carolina and Texas, have such departments.