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Show Friday, January 2, 1959 THE UTAH STATESMAN Page 2 THE UTAH STATESMAN file Past? A Weekly Newspaper Devoted to Good Government" HARRY B. MILLER, Publisher H. V. WRIGHT, Editor Mrs. Madge H. Fairbanks. Associate Editor Mrs. LaVerl Neilsen Editorial Mrs. Janet Schoenhals Editorial Lori Rytting State Central Committee Miss Diane Thomas Womens Division Miss Mary Gardner Art Dick Richardson Cartoonist Entered as 2nd Class matter at the Post Office at Salt Lake City, Utah, under the Act of March 3, 1879 T Subscription rate 11.00 per year Published weekly at 421 Church Street Salt Lake City, Utah ... National Editorial Association 1958 Vol. 12; No. 51 usually in the historic attractions will bring in as much money name of "progress" and frequently in the interests during a year as a new business with a $100,000 of a new thruway or shopping center is rapidly wip- annual payroll." ing out the nation's ties with its glorious past. But the Government, itself, is not swayed by Destruction of our historic landmarks goes on such considerations, nor even, on frequent occaat such a pace, writes Blake Clark in the January sions tradition, history or sentiment. Mr. Clark issue of Reader's Digest, that since 1941 we have relates by how An architect visiting West Point a few lost at least 25 per cent of the finest monuments to years ago learned the historic and beautiful Super-to our national traditions. intendent's House has been ordered tom down "A nation with no regard for its past," writes Mr. for more barracks, and saved it by space provide "will have little future worth remembering." Clark, to Washington and the office of Virginias And while he notes also that: "The true preserva- rushing Senator Harry F. Byrd. tionist is not motivated by money," he points "Senator." he demanded, "did you know , that out for the benefit of the most hardheaded readers that preservation and restoration can pay off.. "A re- General Robert E. Lee's famous home, when he was cent Government survey shows," he says, "that an superintendent of West Point is about to be deaverage of only 28 tourists a day visiting a town with stroyed?" A phone call from the irate Senator, and the wrecker's hand was stayed. But it is not always so easy. There's the case of Boscobel, a classic 1804 example of the Hudson River mansion. It stood on Over debtedness amounting to between $800 billion and Government property and was falling to min.wreck1950 to a local protests Boscobel was sold in $900 billion. This is close to a trillion dollars. er for $35. Admirers bought the pieces, storing them Senator Byrd says "these are figures beyond at Garrison, N. Y. where they await the collection ordinary comprhension." They certainly should con- of funds for resurrection into a community center stitute a "stop, look and listen" sign for legislators ' and shrine of Hudson Valley history. acting on future spending proposals. On the brighter side, notable preservation work communities ln Russia's Deputy Premier Anastas Ivanovich Miko- - has been done by tourist-wis- e whole areas notably New Orleans' Vieux yan, the theological seminary graduate who made good in the Kremlin, is coming to Washington and Carre, Boston's Beacon Hill, the Old and Historic not, as announced, to visit Red Ambassador Mikhail Charleston (S.C.) District the Old Georgetown secMenshikov. tion of the mHomI rapital (if NOT the National Mikoyan, who has served the Party since 1915, Capitol' itself), and parts of Natchez, Miss. is a buddy of Khrushchev and the Reds' ranking Further, patriotic citizens, who will want to read authority on foreign trade. He arrives as a flesh- d poscript to Krush's letter of June 2 to this article, will be happy to discover there is a it President Eisenhower, in which the Russion Premier private, organization in Washington called wrote that we cauld do a lot of business with the the National Trust for Historic Preservation and dedi-Soviets if we extended credit. cated to the aid and guidance of all who would On July 14, the President wrote to Kruih and told "save enough of the places where Americans who him the Soviets could buy more goods from Ameri- - went before us lived and worked so that) we can can fins, any fln-- bul flat a credit (teal would senae ldeals md character." jj llf raise some legal' and political complications. It is later than we think but not quite too late. It certainly would. It would raise hackles, too. A sort of legalized vandalism January 2, 1959 No Comment by James W. Douthat WASHINGTON, D.C. A renewed and intensified effort is underway among the economy forces in Washington to dispel the widespread popular conception that Federal Government can play Santa Claus to the people without costing the people anything. Generally speaking these 40 million people with their families could reach a number equivalent to half of the Nation's population. The Federal Government, Senator Byrd has found, is now subsidizing business, industry, private finance, agriculture, transportation, power, health, education, states, localities and individuals. It too often is overlooked that the people sooner or later pay every cent of this vast expenditure. Not only this but there also is a huge waste involved in sending money to Washington to be re- turned to the people back home who originally sent -- (D-V- a.) it to Washington. Senator Byrd estimates that about 15 per cent is eaten away by Federal Administration of the funds. So, the economy forces advocate that essenteial projects be carried out, wheqeveq possible, on the state and local level. ITiis would save a great deal of money and also avoid the dangers of Federal control. Statistics compiled by Senator Byrd show that nearly $80 billion is outstanding now under Federal credit programs for housing, veterans, agriculture, commerce, defense production, small business, etc. This has increased $12 billion in the last three years. Grants to and local governments now total $4.9 There are now 62 programs for state by doufhaf - pro-tecti- ng and-bloo- non-prof- 1 Roads Tell Expenditures so-call- ed art and local subsidy. Contrast this with the situation 25 years ago when Senator Byrd became a member of the Senate. At time, he says, there was only one state aid program of any consequence the highway program million. . The Virginian thinks that new proposals to ex-pand the urban renewal program (rehabilitation of cities and towns) are pointed examples of domestic-civilian programs which are bottomless pits for Fed- eral expenditures. "In the first place," he says, "I think people should keep up their property. I know of no reason why the Federal Government should absorb of the loss entailed in cleaning up huge city subdivisions to be used for private profit. "Federal funds already available for this program total $1 billion for loans and $1.2 billion for cash grants. These tremendous sums will not be a drop in the bucket if we are to undertake these projects in cities and towns from one end of this country to the other." The necessity for economy is emphasized not only by the Federal fiscal situation but also by the whole national picture. Senator Byrd emphasizes that the people should keep the following in mind: Total public expenditures in this country Federal, state and local are approximately $145 billion in 1958. Federal, state and local governments are taking 1958 in approximately $130 billion out of the pockets of American taxpayers in revenue receipts from all two-thir- ds sources. In their regular budgets Federal, state and local governments are running deficits totaling some $15 billion. Public debtFederal, state and local approaches . $350 billion. Private debt now totals more than $500 billion. Tills means our economy is burdened with in- - Very soon legislators will be struggling with budgets for various state departments. The Road Commission is one of the largest of state functions rom ' a monetary standpoint and number of employees. The biggest single source of its revenue is from the motor fuel tax, which comprises 60 per cent 0f its income. Its second largest source of income is from Federal Aid from the Bureau of Public Roads, On the Interstate each $5 put up by the State is matched by $95 by the Federal Government, On the other systems of roads that get Federal Aid the primary, secondary, and urban-- - each $26 is matched by $74 by Uncle Sam. Fortunately enough, during the past biennium the Utah State Road Commission has been able to supply suffi- cient money to match Federal Aid. Many states have not been able to do this. On any funds diverted from the motor fuel tax the State loses corresponding matching funds from the Bureau of Public roads. ! r .FUCCAl Tomuam n.tvunn:Wm . As example, with the diversion of $50,000 from the motor fuel tax, the State Road Commission would ' actually lose a $1 million construction job on the Interstate since the $50,000 would be matched with $950,000 from the Federal Government. Other rev- enue COmM frm Vehlcle registered (hcense plates) The balance is miscellaneous such as reimburse-tha- t ment for work done by the Road Commission for cities and counties, and their proportionate share of Federal Aid for secondary projects. Funds from other federal agencies are also included in this category. In viewing expenditures, it is noted on the graphs below that 74 per cent went to construction. There was also 16 per cent of the money expended that was for maintenance. This means that 90 per cent of the monies expended by. the Road Commission went for either construction or maintenance of Utah's roads. The figures for fiscal 1958 are graphically shown in the following pie charts: |