The Johnson City comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1916-1917, 1916-08-31
BENEFITS TO TENNESSEE
FROM FEDERAL ROAD LAW


lar OF Tennessee in the Horse OF
Representatives, Monday, July 81
Mr.. Mcclellan: Mr.. Speaker, on
July 11,1916, he fight over Federal
aid to road building in the various
States was ended when the President
approved what is known as the good
roads law.
Nearly five years ago number OF
the Members of he House, amolg
whom we're Congressman Bylns and
Congressman Austin and myself, al
of Tennessee, met in Mr.. Shacke-
fCrds room and jointly prepared a
bill providing for Federal aid to 10 I'd
building throughout the country. This
D4l was afterwards passed in the
House, but was defeated in the SEN
ate. At first, this private committee
had all kinds of ridicule heapud up N
il Tor advancing a measure which WAS
then declared to be wild. The OPP
ponents of the plan contampJu0us y
dubbed us as "dirt-road sta1smen.'
Many OF our newspapers ridiculed Us,
and it was thought that the Congress
would never give its consent to a'l
the States in road building; but tie
members of the original committee
never slumbered and never talterei.
Under the leadership of Mr.. Shacklo-
ford we kept up the fight lnG passed
our bill in the House, but it vas ia-
The next session, however, tn House
established a roads comm tttu, and
Mr.. Shackleford was the chairman If
TN committee, and again the fight
was taken up. AT last we have won,
both House and Senate.
One of the first speeches l h.ade in
the House was on this subject, and
/ have discussed it in every succeed-
ing House and in every campaign and
On almost every stump in Teaiesse
In my late senatorial campaign
promised the people of my Sta,e that
l would leave no stone unturled 10
aid in getting the measure On the
statute books, and l am delighted to
report to them that this is now tn.
law.
a. is not my purpose to discuss til
merits OF this bill today. The merits
nave already been determined, and
the policy of the act is no longer in
question. The system has come ed
has come to stay. Some may h.ys
voted against it, but no one will ever
offer to depeal the law. HerCtof II,
in discussing this measure with lac
people Of Tennessee have discussed
its merits / now want to discuss IT,
benefits that Tennessee will receive
from it,
Benefits to Tennessee From Federal
Road Law"
Under the provisions of the act
SOuSItSS udS app OpL ldlEu Po,ooo'VV'
for the fiscal year ending June 80,
1919; $10,000,000 for the fiscal year
ending June 30. 1918; $4,000, 600 for
the fiscal year ending June 80, 1913;
$40 100000 for the fiscal year ending
June 30, 1920; and $20.OO0,0O0 for the
fiscal year ending June &c. 1921.
1.-THE first year Tennessee will get
$1l4,152 4S, the second year. she will
get $22S ,306.96, the third year she will
get $342, 1904, tn efourth year she
will ge" $456,613.92, and in the fifth
year she will get $570,767,4O." In
other words, in five years, under the
terms of this act, Tennessee will re-
ceive for good roads the net sum of
$1,712,30120. This is the net amount
that will go to Tennessee after deduct
ing per cent for cost of administra-
ton. Ii any State does not accept
the benefits of the act, the sum allot-
ted to that State will be reapportion-
ed TO the other States. In this way
Tennessee's share may be even more
than the above.
The funds are apportioned by the
Secretary of Agriculture in the fol-
lowing manner: One-third in the ra
ito which the area of each State bears
to the total area of all the States;
onethird in the rtio which the popu-
lation of each State bears to the total
ratio OF all the States; one-third in
the ratio which the mileage of rural
routes and star routes bears to tho
total mileage of rural routes and star
routes in all of the States. In this
way an equitable division of the fund
is provided for. On this basis Ten
nessee stands fifteenth in the list, IA
other States getting larger sums.
Texas gets the largest sum, New
York comes second, and Pennsylvania
third. Among the southern States,
Texas comes first, Georgia second,
and Tennessee third SO that it is
seen that Tennessee fares very wei !
in this proportion.
What Roads Improved
Under the terms of this act the !
State highway commission of the sew