Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1916-06-28
.G00D ROADS IN
OLD DOMINION
Virginia Senators and Rep
resentatives Are Ac-
lively Engaged
STATE TO GET s591,214
Solid Vote of Virginia Congressman
Can be Depended Upon For High
way improvements
(Bv Special Correspondent 1.


Washington, D.: c., June 2S-Vir-
ginia's interest in. the Good Roads
appropriation bill, now pending, is
sure to be we'll taken care of through
the presence on the conference COM
mittee between the Senate and House
of Representatives OF Senator Claude
A. Swanson and Congressman Ed
ward A. Saunders, of Virginia, both
rampant road improvement enthu-
siasts.
By a peculiar coincidence Congress
man Saunders is ranking member on
the House committee on roads and
Senator Swanson is ranking member
of the Senate Committee on Post
Offices and Post Roads, which COM
mittees, respectively, have charge OF
the bill making appropriations for
road improvement. So that when
committees were appointed by both
bodies to hold conferences to COM
pose the difference in the bills passed
by each body, both Virginians were
placed on the conference committee.
Both Swanson and Saunders come
from farming communities and have
the welfare of the farmers, who arc
! the principal benefciaiies under the
bill, strictly at heart.
There is a marked difference in
the bills passed by both houses. The
House is more favorable to
road legislation than the Senate. The
House has passed good road bills
for the past three sessions of Con-
gress, but the Senate has failed to
concur. This, however, is no fault OF
Senator Swanson's. The Virginia
senator has done his very best but
the task of overcoming the sentl-
ment in the Senate in favor of al
lowing the states to care for their
own roads was too enormous.
The House of Representatives Dill
provides for the appropriation of S25,-
100000 to be expended on improving
rural post roads, the sum to be ap-
portioned among the states accord
ing to their population and number
of miles of rural post roads. Vir-
pinia's share of this sum would be
s591 ,214. It is stipulated in the bill
that the states are to eXpend sum
equal to that provided by the fede-
raj government.
When the bill went to the Senate
it was virtually killed and substitut-
ed by an almost entirely new PROPOSE
ton. The Senate bill proposed to
legislate for five years road con-
struction, instead of a one-year bill
as passed by the House.
It makes an appropriation of S5,-
100000 tie first year, $10.O0O,O O,OOC
the second year. S15,O00,0OO the
third year, s2O,OOO,OOO the fourth
wear and S25,OOO,00O the fifth year
the sums to each state to be appor-
toned in the same manner provided
in the House bill.
By the Senate bill Virginia would
receive about 100000 the first year
100000 the second year, 100000
the third year, about $4,000 the
fourth year and $591,214 the fifth
year.
Senator Swanson did his utmost to
have the Senate adopt the House bill
which is far more liberal, but wher
!, it came to the point Of again hav'
ing the entire bill defeated he favored
accepting the Senator's proposal II
preference to nothing, and in using
his best efforts to have the House
bill adopted in conference between
both bodies or having the appropria'
tion considerably increased as a com.
promise.
Congressman Saunders will stant
by the House bill as long as there is
. hope of having it adopted by the Sen
ate. He believes S25,000,000 is tht
smallest sum that should be appro
priated. The administration of {
smaller sum then this will cost al