The Leader, enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1915-1921, 1916-05-03
HIGHWAY BILL PENO|NG
BEFORE THE SENATE
Government to Take Over and
Maintain Principal Roads

ions for an investigation and re-
port to Congress of preliminary
plan for a system of national
highways by the corps of Engi-
neers of the army is made in a
joint bill now pending before the
Senate and House Committee on
Military Affairs. The bill was in
PRODUCED in the Senate by Sena-
tor John A. Shields of Tennessee,
and in the House of Representa-
tives by John H. Small, of North
Carolina.
In particular this bill embodies
the principle of having conduct
ed scientific investigation and
survey of the highway routes up
on which federal funds are to be
expended before the work of con-
struction is begun. 1t seeks, it is
said, to prevent the hit or miss
building of roads by the Federal
Government which are located,
not by expert surveys, but by To-
cal political inhuences,-roads
which begin anywhere within a
state and end nowhere in partic-
ular, The danger of having fed
eral funds for good roads exDend-
ed in such fashion has already
caused the dangerous cry of
pork" to be raised in Congress
when the good roads appropria-
ton bills were under discussion.
Under the terms of the Shields
Small bill, the Federal Govern
mcnt would devote its funds and
energies solely to the construct
ION of main or trunk-line high
way units connecting and CORE
lating the highway system with
IN the states. Instead of provid-
ing funds to pay part of the
states bills on state roads the
Federal Government would take
over, to build and maintain en-
tlrely, certain of the principal
highways. That would relieve
the states of a considerable part
of their present burden and
would allow them to devote more
money to the building of more
miles of good road radiating from
the federal highways. Counties
would then build good roads ra-
dating from the state highways,
while townships or individuals
would build good roads feeding
the county highways. Thus the
entire country would be woven
together by network of high
ways each system feeding the
other, as is done by the railways.
The Shields-Small bill was
drawn by Cyrus Kehr, of Knox
vile, a member of the National
Highways Association, in COOP
Grafton with Senator Shields,
Representative Small, and engi-
neer officers on duty at the War
Department. 1t has been APPROX
ed by the War Department.
While the bill embodies two of
the principles for which the Nat
ional Highways Association has
contended in its Good Roads
campaign, it is not particularly
supported by the Association
which thus far has lent its sup
port to principles only and not
to any particular piece of legisla-
ton.
That this effect to have Con-
gress provide preliminary high
way plan prepared according to
recognized principles of engineer
ing and to provide for federal in
terstate highways before federal
funds arc spent, marks the trend
OF sentiment upon the subject
here is indicated in the debates
Upon Good Roads measures
which have recently occurred in
Congress. In the debate upon
tic Bankhead bill, Senator Geor-
&c W. Norris, Of Nebraska, said /:
81 think the contribution of the
Federal Government ought not to
go to all CT the roads in the coun-
try. 1t ought to be confined to a
system Ct interstate highways"
This IDEA Of restricting the fed
esal participation in highway CON
structlom 70 a sys,e1n of main in
te:state trunk-lires tc be located
by IN expert survey is now sup
ported by the esentatives Of
many states and many congress
ional districts. The opinion is
growing that in this way such
federal funds as are devoted to
good roads construction will be