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Show ISTOI INVITEOTD Ul THIS SHEA Asked to Inspect Western Roads and Building Operations. Ik order thai lie might become more fully acquainted with western road problems, David V. Houston, secretary if agriculture, has been invited lo come lo l.'fah this summer and look over weslenr roads find road building operations' opera-tions' personally. The invitation was extended last week at Washington by Ira K. firowiiing, state road engineer, who attended u conference of road engineers en-gineers called by the department of agriculture. .', The question of hou- western states will be able to build extensive systems sys-tems of first-class roads was taken up at the conference, at which Mr. Hrowu-ing Hrowu-ing represented all the territory west of Denver. Mr. Drowning pointed out to the secretary that Ihe expense of road building in the west, coupled with comparatively small population, made it a problem to finance the work. He proposed that Ihe federal government, as a means of developing and assisting the sparsely settled western states, should pay half the expense of the uniiu highways. . The importance of the committee on which Mr. Drowning was asked by the secretary to serve may be und.erstood by the fact that it is limited lo five members, representing nil sections of the country. Mr. Drowning reprcnts the west. Many matters of importance were taken up, according to Mr. Drowning, Drown-ing, lio returned to his office yestor-dny. yestor-dny. Among them was the matter of equipment,. t ho war department having turilod over several thousand trucks and automobiles which are to be distributed by -the department of agriculture through the office of roads. Dr. Drowning believes that it will not be long before the federal government will get behind road work in the western' west-ern' states lo an extent that will niako ! possible splendid highway systems in this part of the country. Mr. Houslon is opposed to the Tmvn-! Tmvn-! send bill, proposing to create a federal highways commission to have charge of government road workk. Secretary Houston believes that his department, j acting through agents and the road com-1 com-1 missions of each state, as the system now is in operation, is the best method , of handling the road building program. , Pie doubts, he has stated "in a letter received bv Governor Bamberger, the : wisdom of "putting the road work under i the jurisdiction of a special commission, commis-sion, rather than the present coopera-' coopera-' five arrangement between state and i national government. Local road problems vary widely, as to the traffic, problems involved with , thein, according to Mr. Houston's opinion. Pie says he believes that the state commission, in touch with local i conditions, local traffic nnd other local 1 requirements, is better able to handle ! such mad matters (hnn would be a com-! com-! mission of the federal government, en-j en-j deavoring to cover the entire country. |