Arizona republican., 1913-02-13
Uncle Sam as a Road Builder

(Senator Jonathan Bourne Saturday Evening Post)
 Scarcely any public work is more permanent ir it's character when undertaken than that of highway improvement. When road is located it is difficult to change the location When once foundation has been laid for permanent highway the laying of foundation necessitates reconstruction of the entire surface
 It is therefore important that, before entering upon a plan national participation highway construction, should adopt definite and prehensiVe plan based upon anticipation of needs and operations for many years to come in order that may be certain the money expended and the work done in one year will coordinate with the expenditures and constructive work of the next year, and for many years to come. Care in plan ming system and methods of procedure may save millions of dollars of waste or bring vastly greater results than would be attained under ill considered and haphazard action.
 In the last poStofficc Appropriation bill the house inserted a provision, after the bill had been reported from the committee and while it der discussion the floor of the house, providing for the classification of roads used for the carry ing of United States mails and for the payment by the government of an annual sum as rental, in consideration of the fact that the government these highways.
 Such payments were to be either $l5, s2o, $25 mile-according to the character of the road over which the mails were transported
 This provision rejected by the senate for several reasons: first it did not provide that the federal Appropriations should be expended in high way improvement; second, 1t established the policy of obigating the government to pay to local com munities compensation for the of highways in conducting the rural free delivery service-a service that is conducted great loss to the government and for the special benefit of the communities served; third. it the beginning of a system of compensation that had not been carefully con sidered but which when once adopted would cer- tainly to immense proportions
 It is estimated that in the beginning the ap- propriations under the provision proposed by the house of representatives would be approximately IS million dollars annually. It is beyond question that this amount would be very rapidly increased under pressure constituents upon their several bers of congress until the highway appropriations would be recognized as the grossest abuse of the pork barrel of national legislation. From every section of the United States would come the protest that the compensation provided is made quate for any practical purpose, and that the gov eIntnent must very materially increase it's allow ance; thus resulting in expenditures far beyond present calculation and without any assurance of permanent results.
 Believing that the government should not enter upon any policy of participation in highway con struction without first giving careful attention every phase of the subject the rejected this provision and inserted substitute directing the appointment of a joint committee of the two houses the study of the entire question and the draft ing of such legislation may meet the approval of the committee.
 In legisating upon the subject of national participation in road improvement four different problems must be solved:
 First-To devise a plan that shall in
 equitable distribution of the funds
 to the different sections of the United States.
 Second-To determine whether the
 ey should be expended in the construction
 main arteries interstate commerce, or
 to be expended upon local branch lines that
 will merely feeders for railroads
 Third-To devise plan of cooperation
 with the different states that will be accept
 able to them and insure the cooperation of
 all with the federal government.
 Fourth-TO throw round the national
 funds such safeguards will insure their
 proper expenditure and guard against
 l think il will be generally felt that plan should be adopted which will guarantee eXpendi- national road funds in the several states approximately in proportion to the amount each contributes the fund. 1 say approximate y," for I apprehend that circumstances may show the need of expenditure of a somewhat larger DOT the undeveloped and thiny settled region of the United States than is expended in the thicky