The Ronan pioneer. [volume] (Ronan, Mont.) 1910-1970, 1913-11-07

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favorably, in that some propose
too large a grant, some do not
confine the right of selection to
unreserved surveyed lands, and
others do not provide for meth
ods of disposition designed to Sc
cure the largest returns and pre-
vent monopoly of acquisition.
Suffice it to say that the above
bill has the stamp of approval of
the Interior department, and the
Montana delegation expect it to
pass as introduced either at this
session or shortly after the con
vening of the regular session in
December.
Assume for the sake of argu-
ment that 250, 900 acres of pub
lie lands, answering the require
ments of the proposed bill, have
been granted to the states
named. Then place the average
price of $4.0O an acre as a fair
return therefor. This would
yield a fund of $1,000, 600, GER
tainly an amount sufficient to en-
able the states named to demon
strate what may be accomplished
in road construction. After the
perfection of the grant, the sale
of the lands and the expenditure
of the amounts derived there
from, congress would then be in
a better position to determine
the course and manner of such
additional aid as it may deem
necessary to extend to those and
other states for the purpose men,
toned.
In commenting upon this bill
the Assistant Secretary Of the
Interior, among other things,
says: I'm the states which have
long been settled and where all
or a major portion of the lands
are in private ownership, taxable
property and population are suf-
ficiently great to enable these
states or communities to secure
the necessary funds for highway
construction. In what may be
denominated as the Rocky Noun
tain states, conditions are rad
ically different. Road construc-
tion is rendered difficult and ex-
pensive by reason Of the noun
famous character of the country,
torrential rains at certain seasons
of the year, and lack of sufficient
moisture to lay or solidify the top
soil at other seasons. These
states cover immense areas and
are at present sparsely popu-
lated. Immense areas are situ-
ate within the limits of national
forests or other reservations, and
therefore not taxable, while other
large areas lie in the public do
main subject to disposition under
applicable public land laws, but
as yet contributing nothing to
the support of roads or other
public improvements. If federal
assistance is to be extended to
road construction, and the var
ious bills heretofore introduced
in congress indicate such a de-
mand. | believe it should be un-
dertaken in the Rocky mountain
states in the form of grants of
public lands to be devoted by the
respective states to the construc-
ton, repair and maintenance Of
public roads,"
Senator Myers expresses the
belief that the bill will became
law, and says: II am heartily
in favor of it because it is par
ticularly adaptable to the West.
1t will enable the Rocky noun
tain states to build good roads to
better advantage than they
could otherwise, and if this bill
should pass it will be largely in
the nature of an experiment. |
believe the results would be so
satisfactory that it would be fol-
lowed by other legislation on the
subject. ;" .,
This bill occupies a strategic
position" says Congressman
Evans. 1T has the approval Of
the Interior department, and
with Senator Myers as chairman
of the public lands committee in
the senate, am confident that it
will become a law in the near
future. This experiment will
convince congress that it is just
as consistent and just as neces-
sary to national progress and de-
velopment to construct and main
tain good roads as it is to i'm
prove rivers and harbors, pre-
serve forests, prevent floods,
build canals. and undertake other
improvements of a like char
acter."