American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1916-02-10
GOVERNMENT ROAD APPROPRIATION.

IF the Senate pass the Shakleford bill, which got
through the House by a clean majority OF 2OO, the Sz3-
100000 appropriation provided in the bill out OF the pub
lie treasury to aid in the construction of post roads VIII.
not be Immediately available for the use of the Senate IN
road construction. The appointment and Distribution
of the money will be under the direction OF the Secretary
of Agriculture on conditions which he will prescribe. Inc
money will not be shoveed out of the treasury JUST so
to please the constituencies of any Representative or SEN
ttors who may have been most active in the enactment OF
the law and the man with the largest shovel VIII not get
for that reason the biggest share of the fund. Other
things being equal, the states with we'll ORGANIZED hlgh-
way departments viii BE preferred in the distribution, the
law assuming that the states which have provided Tor the
construction of public roads under competent direction
can be most safely entrusted with the dlsPoSlCion % '"e
fund appropriated by the Congress at washington
The states must first make application to the Secretary
of Agriculture for aid in the construction OF any rural
post road, the Secretary must determine wnether or no1
the application falls within the provisions OF the bill and
if the application is approved by him the road must be
built upon plans and specifications approved by nm and
within such estimates as to cost as in his judgment would
be fair and reasonable. In order that the government gets
what it pays for the Secretary will be required to inspect
through it's agents the quality of construction and IN no
case can he paw less than thirty per cent nor more than
fifty per cent of the reasonable cost and maintenance OF
the rural post road. 1t will be seen, therefore, that the
Federal treasury will be securely guarded IN the eXpendl-
ture of the good roads fund, and that this fund Will not be
dissipated to meet political emergencies. This is the first
step towards taking the public roads and their BUILDING,
maintenance and administration out of politics, the bane
of all efforts heretofore made looking to the permanent
Improvement of the highways of the country.
Not only will the Secretary of Agriculture direct the
apportionment and distribution of the federal aid fund
and designate the roads for improvement; but ne will
pass upon the character of roads that shall be constructed
and this is a most important element in the whole prob
lem. There are in the United States about 2,24O,OOO miles
of public roads; but it is not intended or desired or neces-
sary that they should all be constructed of the same ma
terials or on the same plan. They must be surveyed and To-
Gated by competent engineers so that they give the best
service to the traffic, they must be drained so as to make
them available for use in all conditions of weather, they
must be graded and surfaced and provided with bridges
and culverts, and they ought to be of standard width
but they cannot be and need not be constructed of the
same materials. 1t is estimated by the United States Of
flee of public roads and rural engineering that the thor
ough scientific improvement of about Is per cent of the
rural post roads, which are the main highways of the
country, would take care of 80 per cent of the traffic; but
this Improvement must be made on approved plans direct
ed by efficient builders and with careful regard to the
service required of the road so improved. 1t would be
task of improving hundreds of thousands of miles OF
branch roads that lead to the farm gate rather
than to build the main roads so that the farmers, by drain
ing and dragging the mile or two necessary to get on the
main road, can have easy access to market" 1t would b.
little short of criminal to build macadam roads In the SANE
and clay country where sand and clay would serve all thu