The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-01-22
FRIDAY, JANUARY u, 1904.
FEDERAL AID no ROAD BUILD
ING.

duced IN the house Of representative
a bill providing for federal ala IN
building public highways. 1t appre-
priates twenty-four million dollars
for this purpose, to be divided among
the states in proportion TO thelr
popuIation. Thos states having a
population of less than seven nun
dred thousand are TO receive the
sum of two hundred and fifty thous-
and dollars. The balance of the sum
to be appropriated is to be divided
among the other states, the census
OF 1909 to be taken as a basis. Nortn
Cardinals share OF this sum would
be five hundred and forty-elgnt
thousand dollars. Should any state
not take the amount allotted to it
nv January 1, 1907, all such amounts
not taken are to be divided proper
tionateiy among the states which
have taken up their allotment. Shoulo
the governor of any state not apply
for his states share within thirty
DAYS after the passage OF this act
then any county, township or ROAD
district may make application for It's
proportionate part of the states al
lowance, provided that none n be
used i'm towns of more thar fifteen
thousand inhabitants. Provision vs.
made as to how the application OF
the road authorities in subdivisions of
states shall be made and how the
work of road building under the act
shall be carried on.
There is a provision, though, that
In order for a state or any subdlvls-
ion thereof to secure its part of this
APPROXIMATION it shall devote a like
sum of money TO the same purpose.
In other words, the government will
pay only half the expense OF any
piece of road building, and, as said
above, all sums not taken by any
state or the subdivision thereof are
to be divided among those states
who consume all their share.
The act creates a department at
Washington with a superintendent
and proper officials under him and
appropriates twenty-five thousand
dollars for salaries and other ex-
penses of the department.
This bill will hardly pass the house
al this session of congress. If the re-
publican party has become temper
ariiy SO economical that it will not
enact a bill for improvement of our
rivers and harbors il will hardly go
on record at this time as favoring
,o.+,- fo,r .o;ll;nn dol \
lars fer public roads.
The question, though, is: Should
congress pass the bill? As an abstract
proposition, We believe congress has
as much right to appropriate money
to establish highways of traffic on
land as it has to provide for them
on our rivers or to put our harbors
in better condition. Good roads are
as necessary to inland n
interchange of rattle to those living
streams and deep-water arbors to
our commerce on river and ocean.
The provision, though, that each
state or subdivision thereof must ex-
pend as much as it gets from the
federal government might work a
hardship to some states or localities
which would find themselves unable
to raise a sum equal to that appro-
priated by the government, n this
would give undue advantage to those
more fortunate and wealthier ones
which were able to raise ,the re-
Quisite funds. Take this state for
instance Our governor would not be
able to call for the more Than half a
million dollars which is it's share.
because the state could not afford to
raise by taxation a like amount. even
to secure the great boon of over a
million dollars fer a improvement.
The emily way in which we in this
state could avail ourselves OF the ap-
preparation would be where counties
certain amounts for road building
and hen apply to the government for
like sum. In several sections of the
state such bond issues have been
made. In this way many sections OF
the state where the people are will
ing to tax themselves for the purpose
of securing better roads would be
greatly benefited by the BrownIow
act.
This bill will come up in the house
Of representatives for action In two or
three weeks. This is a matter which
should be carefully considered by the
people in h meantime, and they
should give their congressman their