The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-05-09
Automobile News


 Provision for an investigation and report to Congress of a preliminary plan for a system of national high ways by the Corps of Engineers of the Army is made in a joint bill now pending before the Senate and House Committees on Military Affairs. The bill was introduced in the Senate by Senator John A. Shields of Tennessee and in the House by Representative John H. Small of North Carolina
 Tn particular this bill embodfes the principle of having conducted sci entiflc investigation and survey of the highway routes upon which federal funds are to be expended before the work of construction is begun. It seeks, 1t is said, to prevent the hit or miss building of roads by the Federal Government which are located, not by expert suveys, but by local political 1nf1uences-roads which begin any where within State and end no where in particular The danger of having federal funds for good roads expended in such fashion has already caused the dangerous cry of "pork'' to be raised in Congress when the good roads appropriation bills were under discussion.
 4 Under the eterz1s of the Shield Small bill, the Federal Government would devote it's funds and energies solely to the construction of 1naiA or trunk-iine highway units connecting and correlattng the highway systems within the States Instead Of provid- ing funds tc pay a part of the states bill on state roads, the Federal Gov ernmeut would take over, to build and maintain entirely certain of the principal highways That would re- lieFe the states of a sconsiderabIe part of their present burden and would al- low them to- devote more money to hr r~m~ T@p~GT <Ik kw roads radiatings from the federal highways, while townships or fndfvi- duals would build good roads feeding the county highways Thus the en- tire country would be woven together by a network of highways each sys- tenn feeding the other. as is done by the railways.
 The EhieIds-SmalI bill was drawn by Mr- Cyrus Kehr, of Knoxville, Tenn-s a member of the National Highways Association. in co-opera- ton with Senator Shields, Represen- tative Small, and engineer officers on duty at the War Department It has been approved by the War Depart ment While the bill embodies two of the principles for which the Ma tdona1 Highways Association has con tended in it's Good Roads campaign 1t is not particularly supported by the Association which thus far has lent it's support to principles only and not to any particular piece of legislation.
 That this effort to have Congress provide preliminary highway plan according to recognized principles of engineering and to provide for federal interstate highways before federal funds are spent, marks the trend of sentiment upon this subject here is indicated in the debates upon Good Roads measures which have recently occurred in Congress In the debate upon the Bankhead bill, Senator George w. Norris, of Nebraska, said
 think the contri button of the Federal Government ought not to go to all of the roads in the country It ought to be confined to a system of interstate highways''
 This idea of restricting the federal participation in highway construction to a system of main interstate trunk lines to be located by an export sur vey is now supported by the represen- faflves of many states and many con- 1 gressional districts. The opinion is growing that in this way such federal funds as are devoted to good roads l definite object, the highest economic | results will be realized and the move ment will be saved from condemna- ton by the public on the ground that tt is pork Legislation
 Convert into Trucks
 Merchants and farmers all over the country are preparing for a big business season. This is evidenced by the fact that motor trucks are being sold in greater numbers than ever be- fore, sayH c. F. Redden, president Df che "Reddeu- -Truck-M Maker, 7, a de-