Show government AID FOR ROADS committee of congress expected to make favorable report on highways measure the question of federal aid for rood good roads looms largo large A jolt committee of the senate and house with senator bourne oregon the father of the parcel post bill chairman Is now investigating vesti gating the entire subject with every likelihood of a report being submitted favorable to tho the general project the main subject under investigation ti at present Is the manner in which federal aid when flu finally illy forthcoming shall hall bo be distributed whether to the states according to their population their area or the mileage of their higa highways ys in a recent magazine article senator bourne expressed himself as favorable to a plan which shall combine all three of these elements inasmuch as it would not be fair to grant more aid to rhode island for instance than to iowa although the population of the former state to Is much larger than that of the latter or more aid to nevada for instance than to nebraska although the former state Is much larger in area than the latter or to some state which has baa already solved tho the good roads problem by thousands of miles of good roads leaving a state with impassable highways suffering because of lack of the necessary all aid with federal and and state aid both imminent an impetus Is being given to road building greater than ever before the statement la Is made that a day Is being spent for good roads in this country but the general consensus of opinion is that until within n thea last year or two results commensurate with this immense expenditure pend iture have not been secured there is a feeling all over the country that road building must be made as systematic and as scientific as railroad building hence the ly for a state highway commission with plenary powers and scientific supervision by expert engineers congress has already appropriated to be distributed to each state for improvement of stretches of road over which rural free deliveries operate regularly the results ot at this appropriation will go a long way to show whether or not the federal government will be justified in making still greater appropriations and in going still more extensively into this important subject the secretary or of agriculture and the postmaster gen 1 eral era have both been ordered to loan their influence to the investigation to the end that actual facts may bo be secured so that road building may be carried on oil in a practical manner |