Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1913-01-25

Chairman Bourne's letter TO MI
Potts is as follows:
The last session of Congress Gre
ated a Joint committee to investigate
the question of Federal aid to road
Improvement in the various States
The Joint committee now has that mat
ter under consideration, and we would
be very glad to receive information
from you regarding it. We would like
your views:
Cd AS to general plan upon which
this Federal aid should be given.
CD To what extent the plan should
lreauire the State or local authorities
to contribute to the amount OF money
appropriated; and to what extent you
think your State or local authorities
would be willing to cooperate with
the Federal Government?
CD On what character of roads
should the amount appropriated by the
Federal Government be used?
ca Should the amount appropriated
|
be limited to construction or main
tenance, or be given jointly for con-
struction and maintenance?
: 60 To what extent, if aid is given,
should there be Federal supervision?
co Submit a detailed plan work
able for Federal and State co-opera-
ton in construction and mainten-
ance."
Mr.. Potts reply to Senator Bourne's
> letter follows:
: IF Federal aid in road building is
: to be given at all, believe that it will
? be best to give the aid to the State
through it's State highway department,
to be applied to certain trunk line
roads, more especially those of an in
terstate character. 1t should take the
n form of part payment on the total cost
of making these roads, the State being
required to bear the remaining part OF
, said cost. The roads to be thus i'm
h proved should be selected by the State
department, and the character Of i'm
provement should be specified by the
- said State department, but both these
decisions should be passed upon and
approved by the Federal authorities
before aid is given. In general, | be
lieve that the same relations shou1t
exist between the National and the
State departments as now exist be
u tween the State departments and the
lie county or township authorities il
u States where direct money aid i!
u. given for road construction.
~ theoretically, the proportion o
cost paid by the Federal Government
and by the State Government respect
lively should be the same as the prop
portion of travel coming from outside
the State and the travel entirely with
in the State. 1t would be clearly i'm
possible to follow this rule in praC
tice, and some arbitrary division woul'
therefore be necessary. | would sug
gest that the Federal Government pa,
one-thrd the cost of such roads a
he may be selected for the National high
y. ways. | believe that the State an
ed local authorities in Texas would b
willing to meet the remaining two
thirds of the cost of all roads thu
selected
THE character of the road surfac
must necessarily vary with local cor
ditions. In my opinion, it will
proper to spend the Federal approprit
n ton on any kind of surfacing on whic
II it would be proper to spend the loct
or State funds. The idea must be
obtain the best dollars worth of road
.or in each case. This will require som
au form of asphalt macadam in many |,
ECU cations, gravel roads in many loca
he tiles, and sand-clay roads on a yer
iat large mileage of roads throughout tn
Try South and the Mississippi Vale
JUS country.
10 "Of the amount appropriated, pc
llOu SuOulu Ue lOI COlSll uCIlOl duu
to portion for maintenance. The Cover
get ment's aid in building a road shou
EOS in every case carry with it an oblig
5ht ton upon the States and communiti,
to maintain the road. In order to sho
It'll good faith in such an arrangemer
the the Government should share the bu
dis den of maintenance. | would sugge
pes the same cooperative arrangement
led, for maintenance as are made for co
ing struction.
use "If Federal aid be given, Federal S
pervision should at least go far enoul
res. to insure proper economical expen
ntv ture of the money in the vario
hat States. The Federal department shou
in have authority to Immediately vii
draw the appropriation from any Sta