The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-01-13
A GOOD ROADS BILL.
It Calls for the Expenditure Of Twen-
ty-Four Million Dollars.
BUREAU OF PUBLIC HIGHWAYS.
Outline OF the Provisions of the Meas
ure just Introduced in the
Senate bY Senator
Latimer,

a special 1lSpaCcn from WaSnlog-
ton to The State says twenty-four mil
lion dollars for good roads, to be ex-
pended at the rate of SS,OO0,0O0
year during the rext three years!
That is, the amount Of appropriation
carried in the good loads bill which
Senator Latjmer Of South Carolina
has just introduced. His bill sets
forth al elaborate scheme for federal
aid OF the good roads movement, for
which purpose he proposes to estab-s
lish in the department Of agriculture
a bureau to b,. anoWn as the bureau
of public highways.
The object OF this bureau, accord
ing to the terms of the bill, shall be
to cooperate with the various States
in the improvement and construction
Of permanent public roads in accord
ance with the scheme set forth in de-
tail in the bill. This bureau is to
consist Of three commissioners to be
known as commissioners of highways;
two Of them shall be appointed by the
president, one from each Of the two
leading parties: these to be men who
have had practical knowledge Of road
engineering and construction. The
third member is to be an officer OF the
engineer corps Of the army Of rank
not below captain. Each is to rece5Ss
compensation at the rate Of $4,000
per year for their servicesc These
com missioners shall be urder the gen.:
eral supervision Of the. .Acretary Of ag
riculture.
After the expiration. Of six months
from the ..irne of the passage of this
act, any State, through the proper
officers having jurisdiction Of public
roads, may apply for aid in the i'm
proyement or construction Of public
roads, under general rules TO be made
by the commissioners. No State
shall be entitled to receive the bene
fits of this act until it shall have es- 8
tablished to the satisfaction Of the
commissioners OF highways:
First. That the highway or Sec
tion thereof sought to be improved or
constructed is of sufficient public use
to come within the purview OF this
act, taking into account the use, loca-
tion and value Of such highway for
the purpose. of common traffic and
travel, and for the delivery OF the
mails.
Second. That the requisite right
of way shall have been secured.
Third. That the highway will be
improved or constructed in accordance
with the regulations Of the bureau,
and when so improved will be main
tanned and kept in repair without re-
course upon the United States.
Fourth. That the State has pro-
vided for the payment Of its portion
Of the total cost.
One half the expense is to be borne
by the federal government, the other
half being borne by the State, but 1t
is provided that the States may dis
tribute their portion OF the expense
among the counties directly benefited.
It is further provided that no money
shall be advanced by the United States
in payment Of it's proportion OF the
expense except as the work Of actual
construction progresses, and in no
case shall the payment or payments
made prior to the completion OF the
work be in excess of so per cent. OF
the work actually performed.
To carry out the provisions OF the
bill an appropriation Of s24, ,0Oo,0 IS
provided, $4,000, 900 for 1905, and s8,-
900, 900 for 1906. If any part Of this
is not expended in the year named it
shall be available for the succeeding
year. And is further provided that
no State shall receive in any one year
a larger proportion Of the sum appro-
priated than it's population bears to
the total population Of the States OF
tho TTnita6 States