The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1907-08-22
EARLE'S ROAD BILL.
How He Would Have the Govern
ment Improve Highways.
WANTS BUREAU ESTABLISHED.
Chief Features Of Michigan Highway
Commissioners National Reward
Road Bill That Will Be Introduced in
the Next Congress.

Road Bill That Will Be Introduced IN
the Next Congress.
One of the most enthusiastic advo-
Gates of good roads in the United
States is Horatio S. Earle, the state
highway commissioner of Michigan,
who has done SO much to improve the
roads of the Wolverene State. Mr..
Earle wants the government to aid III
our highways, and he has
drawn national reward road hill.
which will be introduced in the next
congress by Congressman Charles T.
Townsend In an argument he made
for his bill recently Mr.. Earle said:
Our educational advantages are far
ahead of any other country. Our postal
service is fair. but not equal to that of
few nations However, We are taking
steps every day to improve it and have
made wondrous progress in the past ten
years. Our methods of transportation?
Take the railroads. They are the best in
the world. They ought to be. We've done
enough to make them good-first built
them and then gave them away and paid
the takers large sums of money every
year to keep them.
But our common. everyday wagon roads?
BY gum, they are by all odds the poorest
on the face of this green earth--no other
civilized nation on the globe but has bet
ter than we. Why is it? Is it because we
are poor? A people that has created and
builded nation in a day, with more mil
lionaires than any other two countries
can claim, poor? Well hardly. The trou-
BILE is that we are so blamed rich that We
can live even with poor roads. 1t would
bankrupt a commonly blessed nation to
haul the product of field and factory over
such abominable roads.
What are we going to do about it?
Knowing as we do that the nation has
paid out in land and money to railroads
and rivers and harbors $3.50, 100000 or
81 600 per mile for every one of the
100000 miles of public wagon road
there is in this home land of ours, isn't it
about time that we insisted upon having
some national aid on our highways that
the roads of our country may show signs
of civilization-may show that our reli-
gion has taken effect and that we arc
putting our education to a good use. beno-
fitting our postal facilities and making it
easy for us to get to the church. to
school, to library, lodge. theater. to mar
ket and. last, but far from least. to our
neighbours dinner table and sitting room?
This can be brought about all over the
United States only by national assistance.
No other country ever got good roads in
any other way Then why should there
be longer delay in following the prece-
dent established by all the nations that
have good roads? / am one of very
large majority of the people of this coan-
try that demand national help.
Among ether things Mr.. Earle's road
bill calls for are the following:
To establish in the department of asri
culture a bureau to be known as the Unit
ed States highway department and to pro
vide for national reward for the improve
ment of the public wagon roads
That the object and purpose of said de
partment shall be to assist in and encour
age the improving of the public wagor
roads in the various states and territorle:
| of the United States by the payment o
| national reward, according to the proHl
| sions of this act; to make investigations
| experiments and tests in regard to meth
| DDS of road making and road materials
| to furnish without charge to any state o
| territory the result of any such investlSa
| ton, experiment or test upon request y
| the state or territorial highway commits
! sioner, state engineer or other officer o
/ officers having in charge the question o
/ improving the public agon roads OF sue
/ state or territory; to give advice, lnfol
| nation and reports on the subject o
| roads. road improvement, road materia
| and 50 forth by means of lectures, bulle
| tins or otherwise; to suggest from time
| time laws which, if enacted, would ten
| to bring about as far as may be un
form system for the construction, rcpai
and improvement of the public WACO
| roads throughout the United States.
That an officer to be known as the Unit
| ed States highway commissioner shall
| appointed by the president. by and wit
! the advice and consent OF the senate
within fifteen days after this act sha
| take effect Such commissioner shall b
a citizen of the United States and sha
have practical knowledge of road col
| struction, improvement and repair. II
shall receive salary of $1,000 per annun
| That whenever any state or territoi
shall file notice with the United State
highway commissioner through the Office
or officers having in charge the matter i
improving or aiding in the improving
the public wagon roads OF such state
territory or the officers of any two
more states or territories shall do
Jointly, stating that it is the intention
the state or states, territory or t"rE'itorie
to build certain number of III = Of rof
such as will merit United States reNar
| 1t shall be the duty Of the United Stat
highway commissioner to furnish gencr
| plans and specifications which, IL folioH
ed, will entitle the state or territory
receive the amount of reward due for q
length and class of road built.
That every mile of we'll graded road {
which the steepest incline shall not G
caed 6 per cent and the width OF whi'
shall not be less than eighteen feet
tween side bitches and which shall
properly drained and crowned so as
shed water quickly to the side ditch
and which shall have wagon way
travel track not less than twelve re
| wide made in two courses and thorough
comnacted if built in accordance wi
the plans and specifications of the Unit
States highway commissioner and appro
ed by him, shall merit reward as follow
If built of gravel. $500 per mile: if bu
with one course of approved stone a
one course of gravel. $3.50 per mile;
r | macadamized, s1,000 per mile II the Un
ed States highway commissioner shall
investigation or experiment find tn
. some other material than those mentio
ed in this section is equal to them or a
one Of them, then he may prepare pla
and specifications for roads to be built
such material and shall place them in 0
of the classes described in this sectlt
and such roads shall be entitled to recei
the reward of the class to which they 9
assigned by the said commissioner.
That the decision of the United Sta1
highway commissioner shall be final re
tive to whether the road is built
enough to merit United States reward
not.
That there is hereby appropriated out
r any moneys IN the treasury not otherw
appropriated for the purpose OF carry
out the provisions of this act the sum
\ s1eo. .o0o. .GO, the said appropriation to
l available at the rate Of $10,Oo0,o00 ye
beginning with the year in which this
shall take effect. If any portion of
$40. 9oO.ooo appropriated for any one y
shall not be expended in the year
| which IL is appropriated. such portion
expended shall be added to the 10000
available in the year following.