Show GOVERN government MANT SHOULD KEEP PUBLIC LAND federal aid on our roads worth more to state than tha n public ownership of land tho the entire road program of the epst was seriously threatened when at the recent conference conferee con feren ce of western governors president herbert hoover proposed ro posed to transfer the surface rights cfall of all public owned lands to the western public lands landa states to bo be developed by byth the states estates as northey they saw s aw tit fit nothing definite in the proposal prop boal indicated indic c the government would continue federal aid in building through highways over these lands nor Is it rea reab i to suppose the ibe government would continue I 1 aid to western public land elates s it if the government relinquished ownership ot of Q n large martof part of the lands within these states those ot of us who have lod fought i the highway battles ot of the west tor for the past twenty or more mor e years fully realize that federal aid funds were received only y because ot of government I 1 ownership of lands lande within the western states the argument that hat t these lands could not bo be taxed by the states and therefore the government which owned the lands ought to help build tho the roads was the argument that finally broke down the opposition of eastern congressmen with the transfer of these lands to the states this argument Is lost and the opposition which still exists in the east might be strong enough to shut off future federal aid annual allotment utah receives an extra amount of about annually from tho the government for federal aid roads on account odthe of the federal owned lands in this state this amount la Is about one third of 0 the total funds received from the government tor for use on our federal aid system cutoff cut off this revenue and ata haa t future u tur e road building prod pro gram la Is seriously crippled cripple it Is doubtful if the surface rights on all the public owned lands in in utah Is worth the sum utah received la in one one year from the government under the present arrangements forbears for years fie representative colton e of utah and senator oddie of oc nevada have tried fried to get an even letter better break from the government tor for road construction st on these public owned lands As aro a result sult of their efforts anew a new bill it if passed w will require the government to pay the full one hundred per cent construction and the maintenance thereafter ot all roads anthe on the federal ald aid system over government owned lands this bill baa the favorable backing of a large number of eastern congressmen and allibe all the ii i the congressmen of 0 the west and stands standi a good chance of passing the next session ot of congress it if passed this bill aili will bior for eyer settle the road question 0 oc t the west however it would be hard to conceive congress passing such a bill it if the ownership of oc the land in question was passed over to the states land Is worthless the surface rights on this public owned land Is practically worthless except for grazing purposes it Is ia an established tact fact that all such auch lands landa ault ablo tor for grazing are now grazed to the limit the transfer of oe owner ship would not provide forage tor for one single extra sheep the states now lot get far more revenue from the grazing T ng fees under government supervision than the states would it they assumed the responsibility ot of collecting regulating grazing As tar far as aa reclamation is con concerned nod the problem is too greatt and too expensive tor for the individual states ro handle take the salt lake basin reclamation cla mation project as an example the government will expend more me re funds before this ls is completed than utah could ever hope to raise tor for reclamation projects throughout the entire state in fact the amount of money to complete this one project is in excess to the states ability to bond usen itself under the state constitution even it if we were clear of all bonded indebtedness when such a bond issue wall waa authorized it the western states study this proposed gift from all angles the answer will be that they do not want this land and it Is up to the govern ment to keep it and develop it scenic utah motorist |