Show MILLIONS ILION NOW AVAILABLE the development of of the national dorest road systems is given great impetus by the terms of tile the post otice appropriations jet act which the resident president has just signed besides in re asing ly by tile total und available hunder the federal vid kid roads act the now new law makes available ival lable for expenditure by the see sec detary ot of agriculture tor for oads and trails within or partly the forests the law also authorizes the secre ary ot of war transfer to the secretary t f agriculture material equipment ind supplies suitable for highway improvement and not needed by the var mar department while most of this vill be distributed among the highway commissions of the states for use in n federal aid road projects not to exceed 10 per cent may be reserved if y the secretary ot of agriculture for ise in building national forest roads ar other roads constructed under his erect supervision the fund may be used or maintenance as well as survey ind construction the new legisla lon ion like the federal aid roads act makes tile the building of roaf roa rostand tand it rails necessary tor for the use alig adaa tie de elopement elop ment of national forest es or desirable for the proper administration protection and im iro ro of any forest where cooperative local contributions can be ob allied but in addition to this it con ains a new feature of much importance the new feature permits the secretary of agriculture without the cooperation of local officials to build and maintain any roal road or trail within a national forest which he finds necessary for the proper administration protection and improvement of uch forest or which in his opinion is of national importance in the view of forestry officials this law is the most important step ever taken for rapid development of a national F forest roads system and will be of inestimable benefit to the local public tile the measure gives us much broader scope for a fully developed program than we have had before says ays henry S graves chief of the F orest forest service in commenting on the new law under the federal aid roads act we had available tor for roads within or partly within tile the forests one million dollars a year available until expended owing to the war which practically halted the work we had an accumulated balance of unexpended and another which will become available july 1 of the new appropriation is immediately available and 3 will become available july 1 there there will also be available ava ilabe or more from the ten percent of national forest receipts altogether therefore we hav hava in sight tor for the coming year about it if we can use it advantageously whatever we cant use advantageously so soon will be added to the ot new money that becomes available aval lable the following year we already plans for approved road projects sufficiently shaped up so that a prompt start will be possible as soon as the weather permits in some cases however these plans must necessarily be suspended on oil account of pending proposals for the creation of national parks affecting national forest lands it would be obviously improper to expend the funds intended and voted by congress for the development and 7 protection of the national forests on areas which may soon cease to be national forests tills legislation will not only make it babler to protect the forests without costly expenditures to fight lad bad fires in inaccessible localities but will also help enormously the many small communities and seat scat treed settlers in and near the forests who now suffer for lack of roads it will also enable the construction of important trunk line roads crossing the mountains with suitable provision of subsidiary roads one result will unquestionably be marked development of recreational use of these great national playgrounds with their wealth of too little known attractions altogether the opening up of the forests to more complete and varied use by the public which is the fundamental object of their administration will be tremendously advanced under the he law preference is div aln n to the of honorably 11 soldiers sailors and iaia marines for the required labor |