The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-02-17
MONEY FOR GOOD ROADS.

Xix AlO ill.,
been speeding forward in splendid fasnion Oy
means OF State legislation. SO great has been It's
rrooress. so urgent 10 the welfare OF this enure
country that there be good roads everywhere
that now there is pending national legislation
which promises material aid TO the work.
The question is not q sectional one, but It's
application is TO the entire country, Tor the ehu1e
country is to be benefited. The forces IN Con
gress which fight for the enactment OF a feoeral
good roads bill carrying an Appropriation for
road building hold that it is just as essential to
have good roads, as it is to have navlgable water
WAYS. And they hold, too, that the government
in using the roads for its mail service owes 1t TO
the States and counties and townships to ASSIST III
their upkeep.
The Shackelford good roads bill, which has just
passed Congress, appropriated $25,WO,UU tor CO
operative road making between the States ana
the Federal Government. this to be dollar tor
dollar. The plan is to divide this money, giving
So, 600 to each State. the remainder TO be dis
tributed among the States on the basis Of popula-
ton and the number of miles Of post roads. The
popularity Of the measure is shown by the vote
with which it went through the House, this beng
2S2 for the bill, ~ against it.
Congressman E. w. Pou, of the Fourth North
Carolina District, is an earnest advocate Of Fed
eral aid in road building, and does not hesitate to
declare that the bill which has passed the House
and which is now pending IN the Senate, is a
measure of the greatest importance to the coun'
try. 'SThe Shackelford good roads bill" he says
is the third best measure passed by the House
of Representatives in many years. / place the
tariff and currency bills alone ahead OF it, This
roads bill benefits more people directly than any
other measure of its kind ever passed"
Congressman Pou, as the ranking member of
the Committee on Rules, helped to frame the
rule under which the Shackelford bill could be
debated and passed. In the debate he gave fig
ures which were a knockout to the opponents Of
the measure the result III the votes cast showing
the effectiveness Of the argument made for the
good road, Recognizing that the bulk of the
opposition would come from States benefited
most by the river and harbor appropriations, he
showed that since these appropriations began the
government had spent 67 millions on these
waterways. And he clearly showed that the
benefit of good roads would not be confined to
only rural communities but would aid all sections.
With others in the House Congressman Pou is
in the, fight to have the roads Of the country inn
proved as we'll as the waterways, and the purpose
OF those who are working to this eD8 is to see
to it that no more money shall be spent on rivers
and harbors until there is a corresponding amount
spent on the roads. In this matter Mr.. Pou saws
that there is a feeling among g great number in
Congress that the government is not getting the
value of its Investments in rivers and harbors
work., that the contracts go to big firms, these
not awarded under the same conditions as fo
road work, that with money spent in road build
ing the government will come nearer getting
dollars worth of work for every dollar put GU
. than in any other sort Of building.
The question as to where the needed money TO
such expenditures is to come from is readily al
swered by Mr.. Pou, who says that much NOR
will come in from the income tax than was a
first supposed. With this in mind he sends
message full of optimism to every good road
advocate, that When this money gets to comm
in steadily we are going to double the Apr,
priation carried in the present bill for 200
roads" When such becomes the case this cou,
try will be benefited in a vast degree, for eoo
roads are the need of the times.