The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1903-02-13

/
tlcn OF the highways. SO popular three
quarters OF a century ago. has for
several decades been considered OBJ
solete. But the interest manifested
| In the Brownlow bill. watch provides
/ for national aid 20 road building
shows that this idea Is very much
alive.
II Is now ten years since TIC popular
demand that Uncle Sam do something
TO help out Of the mud ed 20 the es-
/ tablishment OF an Office OF public road
/ inquiries In the Department OF Agri-
culture. The work OF this Office was
intended TO be purely educational In
character. II was 20 collect and dis
seminatc practical information con-
corning the roads % the country and
means and methods FOR their improve
ment. Tho FIRST work Of this Office
was 10 prepare and publish a large
| humber oil bulletins and circulars
/ treating on the various phases Of
road building and Improvement. This
work occupied several years. and IL
was done well. II the roads In most
parts OF the country remain bad, II Is
not for the want Of information as
to how they may he improved In the
/ best and most economical manner;
Uncle Sans good roads Office Is n
veritable information bureau" on
the subject
But the work ~ this Office did not
stop here The educational idea was
carried further and during the past
three years the object lesson feature
has assumed greater Importance. The
idea as carried out Is very simple.
/ When the people OF some progressive
community or the authorities % some
educational institution want a piece 81
road built 20 illustrate the benefits OF
good roads and the methods of build.
| ing them. application Is made u the
/ Department OF Agriculture, and,
whenever possible. a government OK
pert is sent TO supervise the work.
/ Recently a number a prominent and
/ progressive railroad men have been
/ giving the road question some study.
and have come 10 tlc conclusion that
| the Improvement OF the roads In the
territory tributary 10 their lines would
materially increase tleir business.
| Sc popular has this idea become that
/ the officials OF some OF the leading
railways have como forward with OF
/ fcrs 10 cooperate with the govern
/ ment I'm the objCct-lesgol work. An
/ other voluntary factor In this CO.
operative work is tho manufacture Of
, ruad.buldrg devices who desire TO
bring tAelr machinery 20 the attention
OF tho public. In this cooperative
worl, the government furnishes tho
/ experts. the manufacturers the ma
chincry and the railroads the trans
/ portatiun. tho idea has proven cN.
tremely popular Object lesson roads
have been built under government
/ supervision In twcnty states; and so
/ great has been tho demand for
national aid of this kind that a large
number OF applications have 10 be
refused every year be ause the funds
/ appropriated by Congress are Insult
Client To- employ and pay this expense
OF enough experts 90 do the work.
Already Congress has twice made an
increase In the appropriations for
this work. but tho $4,000 now appro-
priatod annually proves wholly made
/ auate 20 meet the demands for this
educational work
/ II should be borne In mind that all
the work OF this kind done by the
| government Is In tho nature OF nation
nj aid. There IS. therefore, nothing
rev in principle IN the bill recently
introduced in Congress Wy Col. Brown.
low Of Tennessee. providing for ma.
tional aid OF a more extensive and
/ substantial character. II Is proposed
that tho government snail no longer
confnc Us assistance 10 educational
work that Il shall furnish not only
/ information and supervision. but
financial assistance. Under certain
limitations. the national government
Will cooperate with states and coun.
ties In the Improvement OF the com.
mon roads. each assuming a certain
proportion OF the expense
II the educationa! work done by the
government IN recent years has done
so much TO encourage and stimulate
road Improvement. what may We not
expect from this great extension OF
the principle OF national aid2 II is
sometimes urged as an objection 90
national aid that II will cause the
people TO relax their efforts at road
improvement. and TO depend on the
general government 10 do the work
for them. Is IL not likely TO produce
exactly the opposite result? The
large fund which Congress Will appro-
pirate for this work will be divided
among the states In proportion TO
population. But no state can secure
it's share except by complying with
the conditions prescribed. the chief
OF which Il is that IL shall raise like
sum for the same purpose. Instead Of
discouraging state effort. this should
greatly stimulate ~. Again. II a
state takes no action looking 10 the
| acccDfaneo NJ tho Uovornmanf'a prof.