The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-01-20
BILL NOW BEFORE
HOUSE PROVIDES
FOR FEDERAL AID
How Each Etate Would
Share Under Provisions of
ShacklefOrd Measure
NOT OVER S25,OOO,OOO
IN ANY SINGLE YEAR
Amounts viii be Based on Popula-
tion and Number of Rural Post
Roads in Use in Each
State
by C. Il. STEWART

Washington, January 19.-(Special THE
question of government aid in the build
ing of good roads in the United States has
long been agitated 1t has been one of
the favorite themes of discussion by can
oidates for office and has been embodied
IN the platform of almost every congress-
man in both parties for many years past.
1t remains, however, for the democratic
party the first time in power in 16 years.
to do something really substantial to i'm
prove the roads in the country
President Wilson and Representative
Underwood both favor legislative action
at this session of Congress looking to fed
leral aid in building roads. Every scheme
for the building of highways advanced
has embraced the idea that it must be
a cooperative plan between the states
and the federal government. In her
words, the government will stand ready to
laid and assist both with money and ad-
wise the state that puts up a dollar for
every dollar given by the government.
Representative Dorsey ". Shac!deford
of Missouri, chairman of the House COM
mittee on roads, has introduced a bill in
the House providing government aid in
the consUuction of roads, which will be
reported at an early date by his commit
tee, and the subject will be squarely be
fore Congress. Mr. Underwood feels Ger
tain that this bin will be passed sub
stantially as it is written, and is going
10 give it his unqualified support
Not Over $25, 1000, 900 Year
The bill provides that the Secretary of
iAgrculture on behalf of the government
may aid the states in the construction aud
maintenance of rural post roads in an
amount not exceeding $2500O,000 in any
Scar
she portion which may be expended IN
any state in any fiscal year will be de-
termined upon the basis, first:
One-half in the proportion which the
total population of such state bears to
the total population of all the states as
shown by the federal census. and second
one-half in the proportion which the total
number of miles of rural post roads in
use in such state bears to the total num-
Der of miles of rural post roads in use in
all the states, as shown by the report of
the Postmaster General
January 20 the Secretary of Aerieul-
ture Will prepare and file in his office
statement showing the amount which
under the provision of the act may he ex-
pended in each state during the next year,
and he will advise the governor of each
state the proportion of money that will be
available to his state for such purposes
The bill provides that the governor or
each state may elect whether federal aid
to the construction and maintenance OF
rural post roads in his state shall be given
under the provisions of section or section
of the act.
Provisions of Section 2
Section 3 provides that the Secretary
of Agriculture is authorized to cooper
ate with the officers of the several states
in the construction and maintenance OF
rural post roads. That after February
! and prior to the Observation-Disclosures
and prior to June l, the Secretary OF
Agriculture and the officers of the state
may jointly consider and determine the
roads which may be constructed and
maintained during the year. The con-
struction and maintenance shall lie con-
Quoted under such supervision as they
may agree upon. And that in no case
one-half the cost and that the Secretary
OF Agriculture shall require that the
states proportion of the funds to be ex-
pended be made available before the con-
struction of the roads agreed upon be-
gins
Section 4 provides that certain roads in
the states which are adapted to use by
the United States rural post roads
shall be divided into three classes,
known as Class A, Glass b, and class c.
Glass A shall embrace roads upon which