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Show I... - OIIMi I Immense Strides Have Been I Made During Last Eight I GOVERNMENT MAY HELP I Bill Introduced in Congress I Devoting Public Lands to j the Purpose. 1 WASHINGTON, Dec 6. A plan to promote road building In west- I orn states was embodied In a bill I introducod today by Senator War- ron. It would grant 500,000 acre3 of public lands to each of the fol- j lowing states, to be sold for the aid' J of road building: Arizona, Colo- I rado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexi- co, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming. I Promoters of good Toads in Utah will I le interested in a comparison between tbo expenditure on public, roads in the United States in 1004 and In 1012, which has just been compiled by the department of agriculture, through its ofnee of public roads, showing the tremendous tre-mendous growth that has taken place in tho movement for better highways within tho last eight years. The ro-port ro-port follows: In 1904 the total expenditure on all public roads in the United States was $79,771,417. but in 1912 the expenditures for this purpose amounted to $104,232,305. The ,ex-pendittvro ,ex-pendittvro per mile or public roads in the United States for 1904 was $37.07, but the expenditure per mile for tho year 1012 had doubled amounting, to $74.05. The cxpondi-turoper cxpondi-turoper inhabitant in 1904 was fLOo, but in 1912 it amounted to II Aid Given By States. I The greatest progress in road building has been made in. the I states which contribute from, the m state treasuries toward the con- M strncti on of stale aid or trunk-lino f roads. Iu 1904 there "wore thirteen s states that contributed out of the I general fund $2.(507,000, but in 1912 ! there wore thirtv-fivo states, which j coufributed $43,757,438. The states j having the largest- expenditures for ! state-aid and trunk-lino roads in 1912 wore as follows: New York, S " $23,000,000; Pennsylvania. $4,,- 000,000; Marvlnnd. $3,370,000 j Con- jj neclleiii, $3,000,000. jj Iu Utah, the sfato road commission jS and the state engineer are co-oporat- 11 ing in the interest of road improvement, jjj and a great amount of good work has Jj been -done during tho past year. Cnn- jj viets from, the state prison are also 1 utilized in this improvement, a large I amount of -which has been done in Da- I vis, Weber and Box Elder counties and I on some of the roads in southern Utah, I "Recently a proposal was made to bond I Salt Lake county in tho sum of $1,- I 000,000 for the purpose of road improve- I inent within its boundaries. The gov- I crnment sent an expert here to assist the county officials and proponents of the hond issue in formulating plans for tho improvement system. Tho matter, however, is hold in abeyanco for further in-vestigation. Tho count' commission" ers are asked to call a special bond election, elec-tion, but these officials desiro .more time in which to collect data on the 1 Sentiment Is Growing. II Throughout the state there is a grpw- I ing sentiment in favor of good roads. 1 Where good highways have been con- ' structed. their value to interurban traf- 1 fic has been recognized. Agriculturists I in such localities have communicated I their views in favor of road improvo- I inent to friends in other regions whore 1 there has beeu no concentrated, and i definite effort toward good road con- I Btructiou. The result is that the sonti- I ment in behalf of improved highways 1 is rapidly spreading. I Proponents of good roads in the state 1 are much encouraged at tho rosults fol- M lowing their efforts, and their hope is 1 that they shall not only be ablo to in- I duceauthorizatioii o a special bond is- I 6iio in Salt Lake county, but propor- 1 tionaio issues and appropriations in 1 every other county in Utah. |