Show FOR ROAD BUILDING By Frederic J. J Haskin Within three years the United Unite States will have a a. system of highways highways high ways superior to that of any other othe country in the world This Is assured assured assured assur assur- ed ed edby by the new postoffice appropriation tion bill provisions of which include three Items aggregating to be expended under the state stat participation plan in the construction construction construe tion of f roads within the tin period indicated In addition ti to this approximately wilbe wil be devoted to building of roads ii In Inthe inthe the national forests In twenty three e states These new authorizations arc are ax- ax x- x d to result in ithe the construction of more than miles of the federal federal federal fed fed- eral aid roads Previous appropriations have provided for miles which are completed In course ol of building or projected and approved cd which will make to grand total J ol of miles or nearly 40 40 per pcr cent ceni of J the miles contemplated in n the system of roads now 1 being eing outlined a outlined a mileage almost as great as that of the railroads of oi he she country With the rapid increase In the use ue J Df of motor vehicles of all kinds It Is Isa a tax upon the Imagination to estimate estI- estI I mate just what this will moan by byway bv way vay of a solution of the transportation lon tion problem of oC the nation It is 13 conceivable however that if f this de- de continues the time will wUl come ome when a railroad strike e will till III h be anything but the menace It t Is It now no regarded Food and fuel supplies of f the cities will not be cut off ore industry Iii Iii- land and commerce paralyzed movement of malls mails tied up and the farmer armer barred from his markets by bya a breakdown of rail raU transportation If f every stat is with a network of fine highways that make the truck a real competitor i of the freight train No longer w will l there be such duch a athing athing athing thing as rural Isolation The tendency tendency tend tend- ency ancy toward the congestion of th the copulation in large centers lS l'S inn may he be checked The to the movement will be given a real roal Im Im- im- im petus Life will be made marIe easier and more enjoyable for many millions million and relief may be found for strains and stresses in the economic adjustments adjust adjust- h ments of society that have b. b b en growing more serious in recant recent years Wide Vide Field Fjeld for Work Volk What might be done in this line lino of oC work Is apparent when it is stat- stat ad that there are at presen preset approximately approximately t v b and one half million miles of f public rural roads In the t United States Of this total less than 12 per cent or about surfacing while the mileage of permanent permanent permanent per per- manent well-built well roads of the kind that Is being constructed where the government furnishes part of the money seems almost negligible by h comparison The average cost of construction of the federal aid roads has been per mile The expense of the work has decreased materially within the last year and the new appropriation appropriation appropriation ap ap- ap- ap bill reduces the maximum maximum maximum maxi maxi- mum participation on the part of the government to 16 per mile for the present fiscal year pear and per Ver mile thereat thereat- ter ker Of the authorized Is available for the Ithe fiscal fiscal fis fis' cal year whirl which began this month while and respectively will be expended durIng during during dur dur- ing each of the two succeeding fiscal fiscal fis- fis cal al years Previous federal appropriations apiro for have aggregated aggregated aggregated ag ag- ag- ag of which about have been spent To this the several states have added added add add- ed d expenditures of approximately approximately- m making a grand total of jf as the outlay to tolate date late for modern highways The for the curren current year fear have been apportioned to the various states as follows Alabama Arizona Arkansas California 1 17 Colorado Connecticut Connecticut Con- Con Delaware Florida Georgia Idaho illinois illi- illi nois lols Indiana 1305 04 Io va Io Kansas 1 1 Kentucky Louisiana Lousiana Lou Lou- siana Maine Maryland 4 Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota l Missouri 1632 l Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New Mew York North Carolina Caro- Caro ina lina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oklahoma Okla- Okla homa ioma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Nest Wisconsin 1 1 Wyoming Of or the ten millions that are to be spent in building forest roads the largest argest allotment goes to Oregon where have been set aside for the tho building of miles Continued to Pa Page e Four FOUl MILLIONS FOR FOA ROADS Continued from Page One of roads while will go goto goto goto to California for only fifty miles tit th thit t twill twill will be extremely difficult of con con- con con- Virtually all of these roads I ill rill fit into state and county systems md Ind therefore in most most cases will connect connect con con- I fleet with and extend the system of ot Federal aid highways covering the country j. j t I States l It Must st Maintain l Roads Federal aid roads must be maintained maintained main main- main main- tamed by the several states and If ny fly of them fail fall In this obligation ill ll government funds new projects pro pro- projects projects may be withheld until suc such delinquencies delinquencies de de- are made good All til tile We e states dates are required to maintain adequate adequate adequate ad ad- equate highway departments an ana d funds to supplement the money from the federal treasury must be placed under the direct control of these depa de de- pa The type of surface constructed con strutted must be adequate for th the e traffic anticipated with r reasonable grades curves and other features All federal money must be expended on a connected system of highways constituting not more man than 7 percent per percent cent of the total mileage in each state stat and divided into primary or interstate e road road and secondary or int roads Elimination of the problem of railroad grade crossIngs Crossings cross- cross Ings Is one of the things sought by the provisions of the new law In all roads constructed in part with government money every effort must be made and additional expenditures are authorized authorize to avoid the dangerous danger danger- ous crossings that annually take such d a toll of human lives An Illustration of what a a menace grade crossings may be is found In a i luau ue two iwo small towns in Alabama Alabama Alabama- Alabama Ariton Ariton riton and acid Clayton In a distance of or twenty five miles mUes the old road crossed the railroad fourteen times Under the direction of ex- ex ex-ert ex engineers the federal aid roa road vill viii eliminate thirteen of of- these of-these these crossings I Plan now the financing of high- high t ays ays for the future and place high- high Nay vay transportation which has come pome ome omeo lo o be an indispensable p part rt o of our pur national life on a firm foundation Is s the advice given by Thomas H. H MacDonald to every voter voter taxpayer r md tad legislators Mr 11 MacDonald l Is the chief of the federal bureau of lot public roads We We are starting out I to construct a system of highways such uch as no nation ever before con- con The nearest approach to t it t Is found in France and Germany mid md the area of neither of those countries is as large as Texas This reat great undertaking is entered into because highways are not a luxury but sut supply a real service have areal a real yarning Darning capacity and have b become come a national necessity When and where man first began to build roads Is not known That It was long before the tho beginning of or authentic history Is certain Fu Furthermore Further Further- her her- more the construction of or such works orl s as th the py pyra of Egypt and rind the tho great walls and hanging gardens of Babylon could not have been accomplished pUshed without the existence of oC roads for the transportation of materials materials ma ma- and supplies I But nut whatever the beginning of road building it appears that it has been left to tIlls this country to carry arr the art to Its final fruition We V are 1 leading the world at the present time and arid the tile policy that is being c carried out meets with such widespread popular approval that there is is' no of or Its being abandoned |