Show I I State to tie Given Credit a for Lands Lods in ii Building a System of National Highways TATES in which title to a large percentage of the area is still S STATES held b by the federal government will not be handicapped on oil this account in the building p of a national highway system through the operation of the national highway measure recently introduced in congress according to a letter to Governor Simon Bamberger from Senator Charles E. E Townsend of Michigan author of the measure and incoming chairman of the committee on and post roads Of all the thc land area in Utah per cent is held by the government WOULD BE UNFAIR I have havo given en this subject ver very serl- serl ous thou thought ht bec because use an any basis of oC distribution distribution distribution dis dis- I which did not take Into ac account account account ac- ac count th these o large government holdings not ot only on I would be bo manifestly unfair to those tho e states stales but would present serious gerlous serious seri seri- ous difficulties in accomplishing accomplish Ins m my primary purpose namely a connected system of oC Inter interstate tate highways Senator Senator Senator Sen Sen- ator Townsend writes It Is perhaps not generally understood understood understood under under- stood that the thc unqualified title to per cent of oC the total area of oC the United d States state's is held b by the thc federal govern govern- ment Included in this domain arc national na national na- na parl parks forests Indian reservations reserva reserva- and so forth In somo some states slates the federal Cedera holdings ar nr larger than state and private holdings holding As examples In Nevada Nevala th the federal government o holds per Iler cent of ot all the land area alea In Wyoming per percent percent percent cent In Arizona 71 per cent and In Utah 79 S per cent In iii each of or six other Western states government holdings are aro 60 per cent or more AN ILLUSTRATION I Obviously Oh under such conditions states with sparse populations and I small taxable areas and generally low lowin in un valuation as well could not develop c their itch highway facilities If the federal federa government go restricted Its It- own activities activities ties b by falling to allow allots credit for the national holdings To meet this condition I have In Included included In- In in To a provision pro m my measure illustrate if It a state has miles of or highway while GO 60 O per cent of or the area of or the state Is held by the thc federal federal federal fed fed- eral government go tho the states state's share of oC the national hl highway system will be bo based on a total of or miles ot of highway Instead of oC miles thus doubling It Its allotment of oC national highways I should mention In this connection that the thc general plan of oC tho the bill Is to construct a total mileage of or national highways In any state not notto notto notto to exceed 5 per cent of oC the tho total mileage mile mile- ago age of oC highways In that state |