The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1913-03-01
AID IN ROAD BUILDING.

FEDERAL AID IN ROAD BUILDING
Senator ol=assl1zn Bourne, Jr., chair
alan OF the joint congressional com
nittee on federal aid in the con
struction of post roads, in a letter
to the editor of The Chief requests
us to poll the sentiment of the peo-
pie of this section on the basic ques-
tons involved in the granting OF led
eral aid in road Improvement. The
points on which Senator Bourne is
particularly DESTROYS of securing an
intelligent expression of pubic opln-
ion are the following:
l. Should the government make ap-
preparations in aid of public roads?
2. On what roads should the first
government appropriation, il made,
De expended: (al ali roads: {b) post
roads (r. f. d. and star routes); (c)
main Travelled market roads; I'D
main highways connecting important
cities and towns in state; (e) trunk
line, Interstate highways connecting
state capitals and large cities?
3. Should the government appro-
Driation be expended on construction,
on maintenance, on general improve
ment, or on any or all of these, or
should the allotment by the govern
ment be unconditional, or paid as. a
reward after local authorities have
constructed or maintained a high'
way in good condition?
I. What proportion of cost of con
struction, improvement, or main
tenance should be borne by national
government, state, county, road dis
trict, and abutting property owners,
respectively, or what amounts should
be allotted to the states on an I'M
conditional plan, or what amounts
per mile should be paid as rewards?
5. Should the federal appropri-
alton be apportioned among the
states on basis of population, area,
mileage Of roads, mileage Of rural and
star routes, taxable valuation, or a
combination of these?
6. Should the supervision of con
struction or maintenance Of govern
ment aided roads be by the federal
government, the state and local au-
thorities, or jointly?
On this subject the Shreveport
Journal says:
Federal aid to good road construc-
ton is a very live issue in this coun-
try today, and it is becoming more
and more important as time goes on.
Under the terms OF a former expert
mental appropriation bill the sum Of
$4,000 was allotted to be expended
in each state of the union for good
roads, and the police jury Of Caddo
parish has asked to have this govern
ment fund set apart for US in con-
structing the Caddo and Desoto par
ish portions of the great acT1ss-the-
state highway planned a few years
ago. The. portion Of the road in this
parish, Of course, would become part
of the good roads system now being
constructed. But this experiment
has already proved that the govern
ment will have to go about its road
building projects upon another and
different plan-the dribbling out Of
$4,000 a year to each state is not
going to be a success, as a matter
of course, and will soon have to BE.
discarded
for The purpose, no doubt,
of determining what course shall he
adopted by the government in place
of this experiment. that the joint
congressional committee is now seek
ing to ascertain the wishes of the peo-
pie themselves and has appealed to
the newspapers to help in the gath
ering of the information. ;,
The Chief will be glad to receive
and publish the opinions of any of
the the eafesestiens submitted
above, and will forward sucM com
ments to Senator Bourne for use by
his committee in its deliA erations.
Let US have your views on this i'm
portant subject.