Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-02-16
BY HOWARD S. FISK.

| - OFFENDING that the national
governments first concern should
relate to the main roads Of the
~ country, and again placing it
self souarely on record as op-
posed to any piecemeal and wasteful dis
| tribution of federal funds. the American
| Automobile Association representatives
appeared before the joint committee of
Congress at its evening session last Mon
day The plea was made that in this
day of multiplying roads travel. diversi-
fled to an epoch-making degree. any
project for federal participation in high
ways construction should involve gen
eral interstate system of highways
eouitably apportioned among the various
states.
The A. A A. delegation, which ap-
peared before Chairman Jonathan Bourne,
jr, and his associates of the joint COM
mittee, was headed by President Laurens
Enos, who, after setting forth why the
Automobiles devoted SO much effort to
the roads question, introduced George {.
Diehl, chairman of the A. a. A ma
tional good roads board. In the argu-
ment Of Mr. DiehJ he explained that the
association for which he spoke stood
ready to cooperate along any lines that
would safeguard the use of federal money
and insure tangible, real and permanent
results. Mr.. Diehl predicted that from
the thorough investigation of the subject
by the joint committee it was inevitable
that its deductions would supply a con-
crete plan in Complementary presenting
the matter to the country Tor It's COIL
slderation. Since Mr.. Diehl Is civil en-
gineer and has had an experience or
years In road matters it was possible
for him to answer COMPLEMENTARY the
fusillade of questions propounded by the
members of the committee. Vice CHAIR
man Shackleford. who is one of the most
insistent roads advocates in the House
Of Representatives. supplied goodly
quantity of the inquiries.
In his summing up of the hearing Chair
man Charles Thaddeus Terry OF the
A. A. A. national legislative board MAN
tanned that If the national government
gave proper aid to the state in it's most
travelled roads, then the state could give
logical assistance to the counties ana
townships. The basic beginning was i'll
the roads which knit the nation together,
connecting it's subdivisions of states.
Each subdivision. Mr.. Diehl asserted. has
a function to perform; namely, the town.
ship in its lateral roads. the county in
its market roads, the state in its trunk
line inter-county roads and the govern
ment in it's interstate roads. Substantial
federal aid to the states, administered
with the joint cooperation of national
roads bureau and the various state high
way departments, enabled the common
wealths to perform their rightful internal
roads development, both systematically
and economically.
1t was made clear that the A. a. A. be-
lieved in the principle of state aid and
state highway systems. and through its
constituent bodies and local clubs was
using its best endeavors to obtain state
built and state-maintained roads. with
state aid and supervision of county, mar
ket and township tributaries. Further, at
tention was called to the fact that mo-
florists quite generally accept an uncon-
stitutional tax, called registration fee"
simply because the money so raised is
used for highway maintenance purposes.