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Show MILITARY HSG1MY BILL mm SENATE Bill Authorizes War Department De-partment to Plan Road Improvement. ACTION IS URGED Will Mean Improvement of the Coast to Coast Route. What will be known as th military marginal highway bill has been introduced intro-duced in the United States sonata by Chairman George E. Chamberlain of the committee on military affairs. This measure is the result of various conferences confer-ences participated in by representatives of national organizations which have been much concerned in highways improvement im-provement matters. Recently a committee created as a result re-sult of these conferences consulted with Senator Chamberlain as to tho timeliness timeli-ness of roads legislation in connection with comprehensive military preparation prepara-tion for any situation which might arise. 'This committee was made up of John A. Wilson, chairman of the military mili-tary preparedness committee of tho American Automobile association ; State Highway Commissioner George P. Coleman, president of the American As-i As-i sociation of State Highway Officials; Samuel Hill, president of tho Pacific Highway association, aud Commissioner Commission-er John Craft of the Alabama Highways department. Measure Introduced. George C. Diehl, chairman of the A. A. A. good roads board; Henry G. Shirley, Shir-ley, executive chairman of the American Ameri-can Association of State Highway Officials, Of-ficials, and Osborne I. Yellott, chairman chair-man of the A. A. A. legislative board, were entrusted with the preliminary draft of tli o bill, which was subjected to some slight changes as a result of the visit to Senator Chamberlain, who at once expressed his belief in such action ac-tion and agreed to introduce the proposed pro-posed measure in tho upper branch of congress. Senator John TI. Bankhead, chairman of the committee on postoffices and post roads and the sponsor of the federal fed-eral aid road act, is a strong supporter sup-porter of the plan to include military needs hereafter in highways progress. Bill Outlined. Briefly, tho military highway bill authorizes au-thorizes the secretary of war to direct I the chief of engineers of the war department de-partment to prepare a "comprehensive i plan of improved highways throughout ! the United States, designed primarily 1 with a view to facilitating the movement move-ment of military troops, equipment, munitions mu-nitions and supplies, in time of peace and in time of war, but, so far as reasonably rea-sonably compatible with said primary purposes, wilh a further view to accommodating accom-modating tho postal service, facilitating interstate and foreign commerco, abl-ing abl-ing agricultural and manufacturing pursuits, pur-suits, and promoting the general welfare wel-fare of the people of the United States." Furthermore, it in set forth that "to these ends the secretary of war shnll confer with the authorities having in charge the construction of roads in tho several states, and in such con f erences shall disclose so far as reasonably practicable prac-ticable tho outlines of his plans for roads designed for military purposes, to the end that unnecessary duplication of roads may bo avoided, and that roads constructed for other than military purposes pur-poses may be in strategic locations wherever reasonably possible. ' ' Coast to Coast Route. It is provided that the, plan may be undertaken in such instalments or divisions di-visions as may seem to the secretary of war expedient and desirable. Tho plan provides for "a con t inn on s main national na-tional highway to be constructed and maintained at the national expena along or near tiie Atlantic seaboard ; ; lie nee along or near the sou t hern most oouinlarieH of the Unit ed Stat es, aud then re along or near the Paei tic, coast to a point at or near the Canadian line, with a further view to such marginal highway bei ng extended ult i mate! y along the Ca nadian boundary of tho t nitcd Slates." Of Vital Importance. Provision is made for a suppletnen-tary suppletnen-tary plan of main radial roads intersecting inter-secting the military marginal highway "at points and of locations and routes best calculated to serve military requirement re-quirement s. " These rad ia I hi jjliways j are to lie such as "have heretofore ben ; con t met ed by the st a 1 c;i, or a a may ! hereafter bo constructed by them indo-ipendentlv indo-ipendentlv or with federal aid." -Hearing in mind the vital importance of roads capable of withstanding heavy military linage, which feature lias been ; a fcf'ut uated in tho con t'l jet now ra gi ng 1 in Ihn "Ope, t ho-ve who have given of ; their time and thought to roads prog-; prog-; rf-H in this country are convinced that tiie United States should no longer de-, de-, lav tho i nllet at t ent ion to this phase of I transpoi tal ion needs. |