The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1913-02-15
A. A. A. men
APPEAL FOR
GOOD ROADS
Appear Before Joint Committee
to Urge Their High
ways Cause
BELIEVE IN FEDERAL
BODY AIDING STATES
By So Doing States Will Help
the Smaller Political
Divisions
BELIEVE IN FEDERAL
BODY AIDING STATES

Contending that the national gov
ernment's first concern should relate
10 The main roads OF the country, ana
again placing itself squarely on record
as opposed to any piecemeal ana
wasteful distribution OF federal funos,
the American Automobile association
representatives appeared at Washing
ron before the joint committee OF
congress at its evening session Oh
Feb. 10. The plea was made that IN
this day of multiplying roads traveA
diversified TO an experimenting ue'
gree. any project for federal particf
patton in highways construction
should involve general Interstate
system of highways equitably appor-
toned among the various states.
The A. A. A. delegation which APP
neared before Chairman Jonathan
BOURNE Jr., and his associates OF the
Joint committee. was headed Dy
president I.aurens Enos, who, after
setting forth why the automoblllsts
devoted so much effort 10 the roads
question. introduced George c. Diehl,
chairman OF the A. A. A. National
Good Roads board. In the argument
OF Mr. Diehl, he explained that the
association for which he spoke STOOD
ready TO cooperate along any lines
which would safeguard the use OF
federal money and insure tanglDle'
real and permanent results MT
piehl nredicted that from the thor-
ough investigation OF the subject by
the Joint committee It was inevitable
that it's deductions would supply a
concrete plan In comprehensively pre-
senting the matter TO the country Tor
it's consideration. Since MT. Dlehl ls
civil engineer and has had an ex'
perience Of years in roads matters II
was possible for him TO answer com
prehensively the fusillade OF ques
tons propounded by the members OF
the committee. Vice-Chairman snack
! leford. who Is one OF the most IN
sistent roads advocates In the house
Of representatives, supplied a goodly
quantity OF the inquiries.
In his summing up of the hearing
Chairman Charles Thaddeus Terry,
OF the A. A. A. National legislative
board maintained that II the national
government gave proper aid TO the
states In its most travelled roads, then
the state could give logical assistance
TO the counties and townships. The
basic beginning was in the roads
which knit the nation together, con
Meeting it's subdivisions OF states.
Each subdivision, Mr.. Diehl asserted.
has q function TO perform; namely
the township in It's lateral roads, the
county in its market roads, the state
in it's trunk line inter-county roads,
and the government in its Interstate
roads. Substantial federal aid to the
states. administered with the joint CO.
operation OF national roads bureau
and the various state highway depart
ments, enabled the commemorative
10 perform their rightful internal
ROADS development. both systematical-
ly and economically.
II was made clear that the A. A. A.
believed In the principle OF state aid
and state highway systems, and
through its constituent bodies and
local clubs was using It's best endeav-
ers to obtain state-built and state
maintained roads, with state aid and
supervision OF county, market and
township tributaries. Further. atten-
ton was called TO the fact that mo-
torists quite generally accept an un-
constitutional tax, called ''registra-
ton fee" simply because the money
so raised is used for highway main
tenance purposes.