Salt Lake Telegram | 1931-01-27 | Page 2 | Utah Highway Head Points out Benefits

UTAH HIGHWAY HE HEAD D POINTS POINTS- OUT BENEfITS Labor to Reap Huge Reward in Road Expenditure re SAN FRANCISCO o Jan 27 Special cial American cial-American American labor will wUl benefito benefit to o the full amount of or to be expended on the national hI highway highway high high- hway h- h way budget Henry H H. Blood chairman chairman chairman chair chair- man of the Utah state highway commission commission com corn mission and president of the American American Ameri Amen can Association of or State Highway Officials told the annu annual l meeting of or orthe the he Associated General Contractors here today The expenditure will also ilio mean mcart an all increase In business not only for those interested In highways but In other lines Ines of business he hc also said PROGRAM GREATEST Mr Blood declared that the 1931 highway program federal aid ald state local ocal forest and park Is by far th the greatest program ever cr attempted in inthe the history of or the world and and anel that the program Is a R challenge to the knowledge knowledge knowl knowl- edge and efficiency of the highway officials and contractors of oC the na na- na tion Uon Mr Blood reviewed the story of or road building especially from the thelme time lime that road building was made 0 of first Importance in America by bj the federal aid bill but p passed d by congress in inThe 1915 The Utah man presented two tabulations tabulations tab tab- ula showing the trend of or road building One showed that despite the millions authorized and appropriated appropriated appropriated by congress for tor road rond construction construction con con- the federal aid money was wasa a small amount when compared with the total amount spent The second tabulation showed that local roads roads' had come Into their own In the past five live years cars and that during that tima i imore more money had been spent improvIng improving improvIng Ing the thc small feeder roads than had been spent on the state roads In regard to the value of highway building to business Mr Blood said Indeed in addition to the available for federal aid construction construction con con- In 1931 there will likely be expended on Oil state highways an another another an an- an other or more of state funds while roads expenditures expenditures expendi expendi- tures tunes will probably be not less than to If It these prove to be even approximately ap- ap pro proximately Accurate it means the record made in all former years wilb easily be eclipsed It means too the stimulation of business in various lines of industry allied with Ith highway construction It insures steady work for an army of men which in turn will help general business conditions immensely I EXP EXPLAINS AINS RELATION It would be interesting to trace a n. given sum suns spent for highway work worl and learn wha means to labor It would be found to go beyond the wages of or the worker actually employed employed employed em em- on the roads The Thc materials used are first handled by men If I concrete is required labor is called manufacture th the cement and to produce the aggregate It If a steel bridge is built labor Is employed to dig the iron haul reduce and refine renne it men are arc paid for fabricating the steel and conveying It to the point of or use The money comes from the road appropriations Raw materials whether limestone In the quarries Iron ore In the mines or timber Umber In n Inthe Inthe the forests are valueless until touched by the hand of or man and made useful It follows that a large part of every road dollar goes lOes ultimately to pay 10 for labor Just what part that Is may maybe maybe maybe be left to be determined by the thc trained economist