Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1913-07-18
A GOOD ROADS PLAN
EX-SENATOR BOURNE OF OREGON
PRESENTS FEDERAL AID
FOR THE STATES.
WOULD COVER THE UNITED STATES

A Popular Bond Issue Of a Billion
Dollars Is Proposed-States Bene-
fitted Deposit Bonds to Secure
Uncle Sam.
Ex-senator Jonathan Bourne. Of Ore
gOn is the father of the first systema-
tic and practical bill for federal aid on
q large scale in a system Of general
good road building and maintenance.
covering the entire United States, on
what appears to be very equitable
plan.
In the proposed bill Senator Bourne
who, until March last was chairman
of the joint committee on federal aid
in the construction Of post roads. has
worked out in detail q plan Of loan
ing to the various states the superior
credit Of the United States.
A popular federal bond issue of
81. ooo.O 900 is proposed in denomina-
tons of $50 and multiples. and bearing
3 per cent interest. States accepting
this aid would deposit with the Uni
ter States their own per cent bonds
as security for their share Of the pro-
ceeds of the 1000. 100000 federal IT,
sue. The United States would apply
per cent of the interest accruing on
these state bonds to the payment Of
interest on its own bonds, and place
the remaining per cent In sinking
fund to draw compound interest at 3
per cent. This / per cent annually
thus compounded would amount to 100
per cent in little less than ~ years.
and when thus matured the United
States would return the state bonds
as cancelled, without the payment Of
any part Of the principal.
In other words, this would be equiv
alent to the various states issuing
their 5O-year bonds at per cent with
complete relief from payment Of any
part Of the principal. It almost seems
like magic. yet the plan is simplicity
itself. The cheaper credit Of the Uni
ter States and the tireless working Of
the principle of compound interest will
extinguish the principal in AZ years.
Senator Bourne has worked out an
interesting basis for the pro rating Of
the $1,OO0.O0O,O 900 among the 4s states.
Four factors are employed-area, pop
ulation, total assessed valuation of all
taxable property, and the total mile
age of public highways in each of the
several states.
The United States highway commits
compute the percentage Of the total
of each of these four items possessed
by each state. They shall then com
pute the average of the percentages
for each state. and this average shall
be the per cent Of the $1,00O,00 900
United States highway fund that shall
be apportioned and credited to each
state"
Mr.. Bourne finds that on this basis
Washington would be entitled to $780,
/ 1VVSOOOp A00AOS @AlsOOOsOOVs OAO6OAp
SIC. 100000; Montana, $4,000, 900. and
California $35,9OO,OOO. Only three
states would draw greater sum than
California-Illinois, $39. 4OO. 900; Penn
sylvania. $56.5O0.0OO. and Texas. $780,.
100000.
A frequent and costly mistake In
road building has been the failure to
provide for maintenance after the
roads were built. Mr.. Bourne endeav.
ors to guard against this danger by
providing an annual maintenance fund
equal to 4 per cent Of the cost of com
pleted roads, per cent to be appro
priated by the United States and z
per cent by the state.
THE adoption of this comprehens
i've plan." says Mr.. Bourne in state
ment to the joint committee on fed
eral aid in the construction Of posi-
roads. Ensures an opportunity. ex
tending over a period Of so years. FOL
the expenditure Of three billion Of dol
lars in improvement and maintenance
of wagon roads In the United States
thus giving useful employment t
many people and providing systemati,
and intelligent highway construction
resulting in the United States secur
ing what would probably be the bes