| Show ON OH THE UPGRADE Marked Expansion Predicted In Market Form Highways By AL JEDLICKA Stair stab Writer Farmers can look for a substantial improvement in the huge state federal-state secondary road program in 1947 Thomas H. H MacDonald U. U S S. S public roads commissioner told a reporter report r at the annual convention of the Associated General General General Gen Gen- eral Contractors in Chicago In framing the f federal d ral highway ig way act in 1944 congress rec rec- the vital need for better secondary secondary sec sec- secondary or farm- farm market to-market roads in rural regions Because Because Because Be Be- cause most farmers farmers farmers farm farm- ers are individual operators who haul y ra their own crops to tor r market and comparatively comparatively com corn great distances separate the farms from MacDonald trade centers 78 per cent of farmers farmers' farmers farmers' farmers farmers' farm farm- ers' ers travel has been found essential In 1944 34 per cent of all trucks were used on farms Must Match Funds The highway act provided for an annual federal contribution of million dollars for secondary roads for each of the three postwar years with the states putting up an equal sum out of their own or county funds Because of high construction costs shortages of material and equipment and a reduction In contractors the secondary road program fell about 50 per cent short of its Us goal In 1946 19 MacDonald MacDonald MacDonald Mac- Mac Donald said Indications that costs have reached their peak and will level off that materials and equipment will become become become be be- come increasingly available and that more and more contractors who left the construction game during the war are returning justify the belief belief belief be be- lief that the secondary road program program program pro pro- gram will pick up substantially this year MacDonald declared The public roads commissioner analyzed the mounting cost of the whole state federal highway program program program pro pro- gram in his address to the AssocIated Associated Associated General Contractors In thelast thelast the thelast last quarter of 1946 construction costs were per cent above the comparable period In 1940 and 16 per percent percent percent cent above the previous three months Costs Skyrocket In breaking down these costs the public roads commission found that common dry excavation increased per cent concrete substructures per cent and concrete superstructures superstructures superstructures super super- structures 94 per cent Bituminous surface treatment showed the smallest smallest smallest small small- est Increase at 15 per per cent MacDonald stressed the marked shortage of contractors available for construction work by pointing out that while there were a total of road builders in the 46 1935 period this number dropped to in 1940 46 Now that scale large construction construction construction tion has been resumed and materials and equipment should become Increasingly increasingly increasingly In in- obtainable a large percentage percentage percentage per per- of these former contractors are are expected to get back in the business buss busIness busi busI- ness this year The expectation of Increased supplies of materials provides a abase abase abase base of optimism for the overall 19 17 highway program MacDon MacDon- MacDonald ald d s said MacDonald echoed the feeling of other construction leaders at the meeting that a sound range long building program should be developed developed developed devel devel- in the U. U S. S Quoting from the recent economic report drawn up for forthe forthe the he President MacDonald decried the he tendency to consider public works primarily as the means to relieve unemployment In times of depression |
