State

mber 18, 1933 THE STATE Page Nine FAGTS ABOUT OUR STATE GOVERNMENT No. 2— State Highway and Public Works Commission (This is the second of a series of ar¬ ticles describing the history, personnel and functions of the twenty-one major departments comprising the state gov¬ ernment of North Carolina. The third article will be published in The State soon.) ★ By W. J. SADLER ★ It has a now name and many now duties, but it still is the same old State Highway Commission, with added frills and furbelows, of course, but carrying on with customary efficiency to the glory and honor of the Old North State. The history of the State Highway Commission — known as the State High¬ way and Public Works Commission since its merger by the last General Assembly with the State Prison Sys¬ tem — is one of glamorous achievement, in which every citizen of North Caro¬ lina can take much pride. Conceived in 1915 during the admin¬ istration of the late Governor Locke Craig, one of Buncombe County’s most famous sons, the Highway Commission was a dawdling infant, making no real progress until the 1919 Legislature de¬ cided that it was time for North Caro¬ lina to awaken and take its rightful place among those states of the nation which were entering with whole-hearted zeal into programs of highway im¬ provement. The first appropriation for the High¬ way Commission was the exceedingly modest sum of $10,000 granted by the solons who came to Raleigh as members of the 1915 General Assembly. This stringent financial limitation did not permit extensive activities, and the Commission’s duties for several years consisted of acting in an advisory ca¬ pacity to the various county ami town¬ ship road bodies throughout the slate. The 1917 Legislature did little to lessen the handicaps under which the Commission was laboring, and it was not until two years later, during the sessions of the 1919 General Assembly, that a real forward step was taken in building and maintaining a compre¬ hensive road system in the state. Legislators comprising the member¬ ship of the General Assembly of that years — barely 15 years in the past — E. B. JEFFRESS were more visionary than their broth¬ ers of the two previous sessions. They decided that North Carolin i should an 1 must have supervising personnel, ma¬ chinery and finances sufficiently ade¬ quate to give to native Tar Heels ami the hordes of visitors attracted by this state’s plenitude of scenic beauties, the proper sort of roads upon which to drive the over-increasing number of uutomobilcs. Frank Page, then of Aberdeen but now a leading banker of Raleigh, was selected as the first full-time chairman of the Commission, with W. S. Fnllis remaining in his capacity as Chief Highway Engineer. Mr. Page’s ap¬ pointment was at the hand of the late Governor Thomas W. Bickett. That revered gentleman and statesman little reckoned just how much he was aiding the state lie loved so well in marching to the front ranks of states of the South and nation. Much pressure was brought to boar upon Mr. Bickett to appoint 11. B. Varner, of Lexington, now deceased, to the post, with Mr. Page a distinct dark horse in the race. However, the genial Chief Executive from Franklin County acted with whet was to prove to be excellent foresight, naming the Aber¬ deen citizen as his choice. And what a splendid selection it proved to be. Mr. Page served as chair¬ man of the Commission until 1929— a decade of unparalleled achievement — and under his direction enormous strides wore made in road-building, North Carolina becoming the South’s leading state in so far as the extent and excellence of its highway system were concerned. Mr. Page rightfully lias been desig¬ nated as the father of North Carolina’s splendid highway system. Under hie guidance, 200 miles of improved high¬ ways were constructed during the first two years he held office, at a cost of almost $2,500,000. In addition, 650 miles were placed under construction, with the final outlay for the additional mileage estimated at approximately $10,000,000. This magnificent progress in creating smooth-riding, well-constructed and wonderfully-maintained highways out of what previously had been little bet¬ ter than glorified hog-paths, was ac¬ complished through the aid of the coun¬ ties of the state ami the Federal gov¬ ernment. Of the financial expenditures involved, one-fourth was borne by the state, one-fourth by the counties in which the roads were located, and the remaining one-hnlf by the Federal gov¬ ernment. The real awakening to the value of a proper highway system in North Carolina came in 1921 when the Legis¬ lature of that year passed the Doughton- Connor-Bowic bill. One of the fram¬ ers of that forward-looking measure. “Governor” R. A. Houghton, of Alle¬ ghany County, was destined later to become the Highway Commission’s chairman. Foresigh led citizens of the state a year earlier bad inaugurated a vigorous campaign which they hoped would cul¬ minate in North Carolina taking, not a step, but a stride of several league.» in the direction of building adequate roads for the needs, conveniences and comforts of the state’s citizens and its. numerous visitors. That bill was one of the most mo¬ mentous in the annals of North Caro¬ lina’s history. Drafted and passed early in the administration of Gov¬ ernor Cameron Morrison, it resulted in Frank Page building, before he resigned bis office eight years later, one of the most marvelous, efficient and magnifi¬ cent highway systems of which any state in the Union can boast. Mr. Page, no matter how far ho may travel in the future, always will be best remembered and honored for the re¬ markable role he played in building the ( Continued on page twenty-two)