| Show ROAD BILL creating a national road commission and prescribing its powers and duties also creating a system of national roads establishing a national road fund and providing the manner of expending the same in cooperation with the several states for the furtherance of good roads introduced by mr howell of 0 utah referred to the committee on agriculture and ordered to be printed ce be it enacted by the senate and house of representatives of 0 the hie uni td states ot of america in congress assembled sem bled that a commission is hereby created and shall be known is as the national road commission which shall consist of five members who shall be appointed by the president by and with the advice and consent ot of the senate the commissioners first appointed under this act shall receive appointment for terms of office for two three four five and six years respectively from the first day anno domini nineteen hundred and ten the terms of each to be designated by the president but their successors shall be appointed for a term of five fire years except that any person chosen to fill a vacancy vacancy shall be appointed only for the term of the commissioner commissio iUT whom j he shall succeed that said commission as soon as qualified shall without delay meet tor for organization in the city of washington in the district of columbia and it sh shall ill organize by the election of one of its number to be chairman and one of its number to be vice elt airman the commission shall appoint a secretary who shall not be a member of said commission and such other employees as it may find necessary to the proper performance of its duties and fix the salary or ar compensation pensa tion of each until otherwise provided ly by taw law the commission may select and rent suitable offices for its use and shall have authority to pio cure all necessary ollice office supplies the expense of the commission including necessary expenses for transportation incurred by the commissioners or by their employees under their ciders in making any investigations or upon off leial business in any other place than the city of washington shall hall be allowed and paid upon presentation ot of vouchers defor approved by the commission the principal ollice office of tile the commission shall be in the city of washington where its general sessions bo be held lipold but whenever he never the convenience of tile the public or the commissioners ners may be promoted or delay or expense thereby tile the commission may hold its session in any part of the united states it may by one or more alore of the commissioners or its em plo prosecute any inquiry necessary to the performance of its duties duties in any part of the united states provided that not more than two members of tile the commission shall be absent from the united states at one time it shall be the duty of the chairman or in case of his absence of the vice chairman to preside at all meetings of the commission and to sign all correspondence documents papers orders and vouchers authorized by the said commission see sec 3 that it shall be the duty ditty of the national road head commission first firse to have direct charge of the disbursement of all money appropriated for road construction under provisions of this act second to consult and cooperate with authorized officials of any state or territory desiring to obtain aid un der the provisions of this act third to select pursuant to the terms of this act the roads that shall form the system of national roads and cause them to be named fourth to conduct experiments make investigations test road materials furnish the states expert assistance and instruct those having charge of 0 road construction work as far as practical and in their discretion to publish and distribute bulletins and reports on lit all phases of road work vork for the information and instruction of those interested lit in the ciomo tion of good road building fifth to make all necessary rules and regulations in accordance with the provisions of this act to effectuate the object and purposes hereof sixth to keep all records maps profiles and information for reference and inspection seventh to formulate general rules and regulations as to the longitudinal and cross sectional profile of national roads together with the man ner of constructing the same provided that this shall not be construed to mean the selection of the particular portion of the road to be constructed nor the selection of the material to be used eighth to prepare and submit to the president of the united states annually a report of the work of the commission including g ill all expenditures and the general progress of construction st of national roads and such other information as may be desired by the president see sec 4 1 I that any of tho the existing loads streets highways or avenues which may hereafter be designated by the national road commission in accordance with the provisions of this act shall become part of tile the system of national loads provided that no road street avenue or highway within the limits of any incorporated city shall become part of such system entitled to the benefits of this 3 act provided further that this ae act t shall not apply to nor be construed to alter amend or repeal any statute of the united states regulating any government na rr reservation lion sec 5 that any state or desiring to avail itself of the benefits of this act shall comply with the provisions herein and shall through the authority designated by the law of such state or territory to cooperate with the national road commission make application and upon request of the national Cat lonal road commission shall submit a map or maps in accordance with tile the rules and regulations gu lations prescribed by the national road commission showing the location and the chui coui ses of the principal roads thio ligh such state or territory see sec G that from the maps and information so furnished by st state ile or officials supplemented by such stich and investigations as the national road commission shall deem necessary tile the said national road commission shall designate the road or loads which shall form a part of oc it system of national loads provided eliat not more than ono such road running in each general direction that is north and south cast and west in each state or territory shall be selected which roads shall be designated so as is to I 1 connect with similar roads it in adjoining states to form a continuous system of national roads sec 7 that the national road commission after having designated and approved such roads shall prepare a i map of each state stale and tor territory showing thereon the roads as they have baie been designated and appi approved oved and shall lile file a copy of the same with each state or territory for reference and when the same shall have been approved appi oved by the proper stale or territorial authority and such approval certified to the national road com mission such roads shall become a part of the nat national lonal road system to be I 1 improved impi oved under tinder the provisions ot of this act provided provide further that nothing herein shall render reader the government ol of the te united state stales a as in any way liable for any damage caused upon or along such road see sec S that there is hereby appropriated pria ted out ot of any money in the treasury of the united states pot not otherwise appropriated the sum stint of ten million dollars annually which fund shall be designated as the 1 national I road fur fund d and shall be expended lor for permanent road construction work on national roads only in accordance with the provisions of 0 this act provided that no money appropriated herein shall be expended on any national road until the state or territory in which such road is located shall have made provision to expend one half of the cost of all national road construction in such state or territory see sec 9 that the national road fund shall hall be apportioned annually by the national road commission commie aion to each state stale and territory which shall be entitled to its benefits under tinder the provisions ot of this act the amount so apportioned to each state and teril tory shall be ascertained and determined according to the rato ratio that the approved mileage of national roads within such state or territory shall bear to the total approved mileage of national loads within the united states see sec to 10 T alit at the national road commission on oil or before october first in each year shall make the apportionment portion ment provided in section nine of this act and shall certify the same forthwith to each state and territory in which national roads have been designated and approved each state or territory shall on or before december thirtieth make a statement in writing to the national road commission of the amount of 0 money such state or territory will expend on national roads during the next fiscal year and the part or parts of national roads to be constructed and the class or kind of material to be used and manner of construction and such further information as the commission may require which statement shall be approved by the commission on or before the first day of march of the following year if any state or territory shall not elect to expend on national roads the amount equal to that which has been apportioned to it from the national road fund for that fiscal year said state or territory shall nevertheless be entitled to receive from said fund to be expended in national road construction sn an amount equal to what it shall expend on oil such loads as certified by it to the commission any balances of the national road fund as appropriated herein and unexpended by the end of the fiscal year shall be carried over and added to the appropriation of the following year and shall be distributed to the several states and territories as provided here in provided further that the state or territory in which any national road has been cons constructed shall maintain and keep the same in ili good repair it at its own cost and expense see sec 11 that all contracts and supervision per vision of work of construction of national roads growing out of such cooperation shall bo be under tinder the direction of the state or territory which construction shall in all cases be in conformity with the rules and regulations of the national road Colli commission alls as to longitudinal and cross see sec tion profile and the notices of agreement by the state or territory as provided in section 10 of this act provided that all payments shall be made to each state and territory tin under such rules and regulations as tile the national road commission may prescribe as construction work nork progresses see sec 12 that upon the request of the national road commission the secretary of war may detail from the chips of engineers any officer or of liers flers to aid in its work who shall sere serc without additional compensation also to use any soldiers of the regular army in construction work under tinder additional dit ional compensation in tile the discretion of the secretary of war and under the rules and regulations prescribed by such secretary sec 13 that the office of public roads of the department of agriculture and all that pertains to the same be and the same is hereby transferred to be under the direction of the national road commission that all duties performed and all power and authority possessed or exercised over such department of bureau and all authority of law is vested in and conferred upon the national road commission sec 14 that two hundred thou and dollars or so much thereof as may be necessary is hereby appropriated from any money in fit tile treasury not otherwise appropriated to pay the expense ot of said commission lor for the fiscal year ending june 31 1911 to be paid in fit the manner as provided 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