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Show BUILDING GOOD ROADS Many Bills Introduced in Congress Con-gress for Federal Aid. Matter May Soon Be Thrashed Out and Happy Medium Found Whereby Where-by Government and Various States May Co-Operate. (By HOWARD H. GROSS.) At every session of congress for the last few years, a half dozen or more bills have been introduced to provide for some kind of co-operation between the federal government and the various states,"-for the permanent improvement of the highways. These bills are generally limited to those roads used for rural delivery, which comprise about half of all the roads there are, and cover practically all the main thoroughfares. It need scarcely be said that most of these measures are impracticable, visionary and show clearly that the author has given the subject but very little consideration. con-sideration. Others have been quite carefully thought out. These facts collectively show that the subject is knocking at the floors of congress and must sooner or later be considered consid-ered upon its merits and disposed of. Like every great question, there is a diversity of opinion, ranging all the way from no federal assistance to the other extreme that "Uncle Sam" should assume the whole burden. When the matter has been fully thrashed out, as it now appears it soon w"ill be, it will be found that somewhere between these extremes a practical, equitable plan will be found, and around this public sentiment senti-ment will crystalize. Without doubt it will require at least some recognition recogni-tion by and obligation upon the federal fed-eral government to do something substantial sub-stantial regarding such roads as it uses in its rural mail service. One of the bills that is attracting considerable attention and is having some support is a plan whereby the federal government will pay an annual rental for such roads as it uses, provided pro-vided they are kept in good condition, the amount ranging from fifteen to thirty dollars per mile, depending upon the character of the road. The most significant action, however, how-ever, that was taken at the recent session of congress was the resolution resolu-tion of Oscar W. Underwood of Alabama, Ala-bama, the majority leader of the house, for the appointment of a joint committee of congress to sit during the vacation and to go into the subject sub-ject very fully to ascertain and determine de-termine the duty of the federal government gov-ernment to the highways, and to what extent, if any, and how, if at all, the general government should take up this matter. Mr. Underwood holds that the first thing to do is to ascertain ascer-tain from all the data that can ba had exactly what ought to be done, considering all the circumstances and factors that enter into the problem. This resolution was referred to the committee on rules of the house, and this committee called a public hearing hear-ing and invited various good roads organizations and individuals to be present and give the committee suggestions sug-gestions upon the propriety, wisdom and scope that should be embraced. The writer was honored with an invitation in-vitation to address the committee. Altogether perhaps eight or ten representative rep-resentative men were heard from various vari-ous parts of the country. While there was some diversity of opinion, all agreed that the appointment of the proposed committee was logical and should be regarded as the first step toward the solution of this great problem, prob-lem, and that the committee should give ample time to its consideration and be prepared to report at the opening open-ing of congress in December next. The committee, without leaving their seats, unanimously passed the resolution and ordered it presented to the house for adoption. It was suggested sug-gested that parties interested would be invited to submit plans and arguments argu-ments both for and against the proposition propo-sition with drafts of such bills as the author wished to have considered, to the end that the committee should have before it all the data and details de-tails necessary upon which to reach a conclusion. It was suggested that a large part of the physical and scientific sci-entific data that would naturally be required could be supplied by the rood roads bureau of the department of agriculture. The favorable outcome of this hear Ing greatly pleased the good roads advocates present, and it really looks as though something definite would be done in the near future. |