1915^ The Merit System in Highway Work 89 



selection of all others who are to carry on the road work of 

 the state, and their appointment will be subject to the ap- 

 proval of the Commission. This, again, is in accord with the 

 selection of professors, instructors and assistants by the 

 president of the state university. 



Again the State Highway Engineer must have the au- 

 thority to discharge any and all employees connected with 

 the road work. Many a State Highway Engineer today is 

 handicapped in his work by having in his department men 

 who are inefficient, but for political reasons must not be re- 

 moved from office. This is wrong ; is not fair to the engineer, 

 and it is decidedly not in the interest of the people of the 

 state. 



In the selection of his assistants, the State Engineer must 

 of necessity obtain such men as are qualified to do satisfactor- 

 ily, the work required of them, and, being in a position to 

 assure them that their length of service and remuneration 

 will be dependent upon their ability and development, will 

 enable him to secure a higher class of men for the work. An 

 assistant engineer, who continues in the service of the state 

 highway engineer, should become of more and more value 

 to him and to the work of the state, and, if he does not develop 

 in this way, his services either will not be needed or he will 

 be retained with no advance in salary. 



Permanency of employment of road officials is, unques- 

 tionably, in the interest of economic road building; while a 

 constant change by a state of its highway engineer is to be 

 deplored because it will usually mean a constant change, 

 instead of a continuing and expanding policy; yet it is al- 

 most as disastrous to a state's road work for the road forces 

 to be constantly changing. 



Compare Massachusetts with a continuing policy, with 

 N"ew York, with a changing policy, and the resultant road 

 <vork is all in favor of Massachusetts. 



The merit system is not only applicable to the engineers, 

 but also to superintendent, foreman and in fact to every 

 man on the job. 



