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Show M oo M Main Highway Systems ;:J Planned by the States That the states are preparing for ac-H ac-H five and comprehensive road lmprove-'M lmprove-'M ment under the terms of the Federal H Aid Road Act is clearly Indicated by the letters from the state highway Jm departments to the Good Roads Board jM of the American Automobile Associa ' M tlon. Some of these letters were pub- J lished in the February number of Am- f erican Motorist, and others appear in 4 the current issue. The outstanding policy of the States 1 for the most part, as gleaned from this J correspondence, is to apply the federal I funds to the construction of main A highways forming part of a definite!! system, designed to benefit the entire1 1 State rather than to serve more neigh A borhood convenience. The Iegisla- z tures seem to be in accord with this I policy, and as a result, most of the I legislation reported by committees, J and now pending, will have the effect 1 of broadening the powers of the high- f way departments and of providing 1 ways and means for meeting the fed- eral aid and using It toward the build- I ing of comprheenslve highway sys- I terns. I Another far-reaching result of the I Federal Aid Road Act is the strength- f ening of the policy of state manage- J ment of main highways. The act re- I quires that the state shall deal with f the government through a state high-11 way department, and calls for direct I supervision to be exercised by the f state highway department The leg- J islation now being enacted by the sev- eral states will be a great advance in the direction of state management 1 and will In a very marked degree pro- mote the efficiency of highway work generally throughout the entire coun 1 try. Thus the beneficial effects of the Federal Aid Road Act are already ap- 1 parent before a single construction project has been begun. |