The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1913-03-14

movement is gaining ground rapidly
there is a keener realization of their
necessity and importance than ever
beforehand, it is up to us of the In
land Empire to get busy or lag far
behind in the procession.
Permanent Roads Needed.
The time has come when this coun-
try must consider the roads problem
seriously. There is nothing that will
yield such handsome actual money re-
turns upon every dollar properly ex-
pended.
The increasing use of automobiles
is providing a great stimulus to the
good roads movement, bringing to it's
active support an increasing number
of people who, as a class, have nor
than ordinary means and influence.
Furthermore, the interest that is now
being displayed in the great national
highway across the continent through
the northern tier of states, and in the
Pacific highway from British Column
bia to Los Angeles, is helping to focus
attention upon the subject of good
roads.
Generally throughout the United
States, county and state governments
have been spending fair sums for sew
eral years on it's alleged roads. But
these funds have usually been distrib-
uted in a n amounting to poiiti-
cal patronage, the work has nearly
always been spasmodic and unsys-
tematic-not according to any definite
or scientific plan-and the results
have usually been Of a temporary ma
ture. Consequently enough money
has been practically wasted during
the last Is years to have provided this
country with a fairly complete net
work of good permanent roads if it
had been expended to better purpose.
What is needed is the working out
of some practical plans whereby ma
tional, state and county governments
may cooperate in going after the road
problem on a scientific and systematic
basis and with the idea of making
such work as is done from year to
year Of a permanent nature.
The United States government has
been very backward in the matter of
extending federal aid to the good
roads movement. The national gov
ernments Of England, France, Ger
many, and other European nations
have taken direct supervision of the
public roads and their excellence is
the principal reason why those coun-
tries have reached such a high stage
of intensive development and are cap
able Of supporting the large popula-
lions they do. Our government, since
1873, has expended over 81, ZOO, OOO, 900
to facilitate and improve ~transporta-
ton by rail and water. Good roads,
which are at least equally important,
have received practically nothing.
However, government is at last
committed to federal aid in road i'm
provement. In the last session of con-
gress a provision for government aid
was placed in the postoffice appro-
priation bill. This was duly approved
though the appropriation was cut to
100000. The plan calls for expert
mental roads of modern construction
in every state that is willing to appro-
pirate twice as much as it's allotment
Of the above sum. If it meets with
substantial support from the states
the government in due course will
doubtless appropriate all the money
needed at the above rate to improve
roads all over the country.
Road Work In Various States.
Rhode Island, the smallest state in
the union. with an area of only 1880
square miles, holds first rank among
all the states in its percentage of i'm