Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1916-08-11

interferes with the present law
whereby the state and counties
are now receiving for road and
school purposes % per cent for
road construction within such
national forests.
The total area of all the ma
tional forests in the.United States
is 1876, 1885, 1853 acres, of which a
little less than one-seventh, or
about 10000, 600 acres are To-
Gated in Idaho. The national
forests of our state are as val
liable in timber and forage re-
sources generally as reserves
in other states, and it is there
fore reasonable to assume that
Idaho will receive the bene-
fits of this forest reserve pro-
vision in the ratio which the for
est reserve area of Idaho bears
to the total area of the national
forests. On this assumption at
least $4,000 a year will be
available for road construction in
Idaho, or a total of 81, 400, 600
within the next ten years.
The advantage, and in fact,
necessity of federal aid for the
systematic construction and
maintenance of highways in this
country has become so univer-
sally recognized that there is no
doubt whatever that Congress
will continue to appropriate at
least $25, 900, 900 annually after
1920 to aid the states in the con-
struction of roads. This makes
it certain that under the appor-
tionment provided for in this bill
Idaho will be entitled to not less
than So, 500, $50 during the next
ten years. With the increasing
appreciation of the value of good
roads, Congress is more likely to
augment rather than to reduce
this appropriation. By adding
to this sum the 81, 400,0 900 that
Idaho will receive during the
next decade from the special ap-
preparation which Section 8 of
this bill makes for roads in forest
reserves, it is safe to say that
Idaho will receive direct federal
aid for road construction to the
extent of at least So, 9O9, $50 dur
the next ten days.
With this help from Uncle
Sam, Idaho can and will build a
system of main highways and
branch roads that will be not only
a great benefit to our state, and
increase property values, but
will attract thousands of motor
tourists, and make accessible the
wonderful scenic attractions in
our mountain sections and also
make it more easy to market the
timber resources of our great
forests.
AS we already have a State
Highway Commission, ready to
negotiate with the federal Off
Gals, there is no reason why our
state cannot at once commence
making arrangements for it's 1916
share of this money. think the
commissioners of every county
ought to study this situation, and
get in touch with the State High
way Commission upon the SUBJ
ject. 1t is needless to say that l
will gladly cooperate in every
way / can towards securing Ida
hos share of the appropriation.
The Conference of Western
Members, of which Congress
man Taylor of Colorado is chair
man, and l am the secretary,
which was organized early in the
session with the view of present
ing a solid front when matters of
Legislation of interest to the west
were brought up for considera-
ton, demonstrated what organi-
zation will accomplish when the
Good Roads bill was under con-
sideration in the House of Repre-
sentatives. Each western men,
her was active in MAKING a ran.