The Emmett index., 1913-11-06
LAWS HINDERED
/ U. S. ROAD WORK
Cooperation With States Is
Found Difficult.
RESPONSE WAS NOT QUICK.

Nevertheless Progress Is Reported by
Authorities In Connection With
$5oo,oo0 Fund Appropriated Last Year
by Congress to Improve Rural Free
Delivery Routes.
Progress has just been reported to
congress in joint document submit
ted by the secretary of agriculture and
the postmaster general on the cooper
alton in road building between the
federal government and the several
states This was In connection with
the expenditure of 100000 appropriat-
ed by congress a little over year ago
for the improvement of such rural free
delivery routes as the postmaster gen.
eral might select.
The arrangement was that the mon
ey should be spent in the proportion
of 81 of government money to 81 of
state funds. The object was the i'm
provement of the rural free delivery
service to the postoffice and reduc-
ton of its cost. The technical investi-
cation of the subject was left to the
office of public roads of the depart
ment of agriculture.
Response of States Not Quick.
The response of the states to the Of
fer of the general government was not
so quick as it might have been. and
the offer of the money was extended
for year until finally expended. Dur
ing the first year only Alabama and
Iowa responded to the offer, but there
are several sections of road in various
states either definitely decided on or
actually under construction. There
are now thirty miles in Alabama.
twenty-six in Mississippi, fifty in Min
nesota. fifty in Oregon, six in Mary
land and thirty-nine in Virginia. The
money for road improvement in Vir-
ginia was split so that there is not |
only the section of thirty miles
from Richmond to Spottsylvania, but |
an additional twelve miles between
Alexandria and Pohick church. The |
thirty-nine mile section is a part of |
the road under construction from Rich |
mond to Washington and will cost |
about $4,000. That in Maryland is a |
little section from Rockville southwest |
to the town of Potomac, little settle
ment near the Potomac river.
The Investigation on the cooperative
road building between the federal gov
ernment and the several states has
shown the office of public roads many
things that it did not appreciate before
in the matter of the utter impossible
ity of cooperation between the states
and the general government under the
present system of laws.
The department is not yet ready to
recommend to congress any definite
system for national road construction.
but this phase of the matter will be
treated in the final report. and it is ex-
pected to be the most important doc
ument on road building that has ever
been issued in this country.
The investigation so far has shown
the department that with the existing
state laws and the work of road i'm
provement in the hands of the counties
and the local road supervisors it is i'm
possible to get anything extensive or
effective accomplished.
National Roads Suggested.
1t is thought in a general way that
when congress is sufficiently awakened
to the needs of the case 1t may be pos
sible to institute a system of national
highways running across the several
states-about three transcontinental
roads east and west and as many
north and south. These would be
built partly with government money
and partly with state money and the {
annual maintenance secured in the
same way.
1t Is pointed out by the road office ,
that 1t Is impossible to accomplish any
thing without a Capitalization of road
authority owing to the immensely of
the United States. In this connection
1t is said that New England is as big
as old England. New York and Penn
sylvanfa as big as France. and Texas.
Montana and several other of the west
ern states as big as any country in
Europe.
Each one of these has a road prob
lem as big and as complicated as any Q
European country. and the department d
OF agriculture says the only way to ef- v
fectively handle the interstate road b
nrlr 10, e. IL Al,~I