The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-07-29

nHE high cost of living which
L keeps people awake in these
modern times was unknown in Roman
Egypt of 10 A. D. According to an
article by Louis C. West, instructor
in history at the University of Chi
cago, on "The
Bargains to Be Had Cost of Living
i'm Ancient Egypt in R m a n
Egypt" the
Egyptian of those times got great
deal for his money.
For something like SO bride could
buy complete trousseau, consisting
of gowns, linen, cooking and eating
utensils, furniture, a young slave, a
hut and a camel. For about 20 cents
plate an elaborate wedding feast of
twelve courses could be set forth, Gin
GLIDING wine and beer" A Gallo slave
could be purchased for the modest sum
of 81 cents and presumably the citi
zen without a slave must have been
poor indeed. Sheep at 9 cents each,
pigs at Z cents and horse for $1.80
were other bargains of those halcyon
days when what the students call
slower social standards" made the
person who possessed the equivalent
of $40 or $15 in United States coin a
potential millionaire.
Harking back to that bygone time
is rather discouraging to the honest
toiler of today who is struggling to
support a wife and six children on
salary of SIP week. With that
amount of money coming in every
week he could have cut a wide swath
in ancient Alexandria.
THE recent act of Congress, known
/ as the Bankhead bill, appro-
priating 5000, 900 to be apportioned
among the states to aid in extenNing
the postroad system and to be dis
tributed over a period of five years,
marks the begin
Marks New Era ming of a new era
in Road Building in good road
building through
out the country. While great progress
has been made in highway construc-
ton during the last 10 years, especial
ly in the east and middle west, by
state and county appropriations, there
are yet more than million miles of
travelled road unimproved; but as
Senator Bankhead predicts, by the
time the amount provided in his act
is expended the plan just now in
augurated will be so generally appre-
ciated that Congress will think moth
ing of appropriating $50,000,000 an
nually for good roads.
According to the provisions Of the
Bankhead measure the government is
to aid only those states or counties
that are willing and ready to help
themselves. In order to secure federal
aid the state applying must have pro-
vided an amount either in money or
labor equal to that asked for, and
after the road is completed the state
highway commission will be held re-
sponsible for its upkeep. The United
States department of agriculture
maintains a corps of highway en-
gineers and road building experts, and
the $75,000,000 appropriated will be
expended under it's superstition, but
in carrying out the work there is to
be joint cooperation of the depart
ment and the highway commissions
in the several states.
AS has been explained in The Age
Herald's news columns, the appor-
tionment of the road funds is to be
based on state area, population and
postroad mileage. Of the $5,000,000
available for the first fiscal year, end
ing June 80, 1917, Alabama's share
will be $1O4,14890. The second year
when $10,O00O0O will be available,
Alabama's portion will be $685.
297.80. The third year, with $15,000,-
600 available, Alabama will be en-
tiled to $3t2,446.70. The fourth year
when 100000 is to be expended by
the government, Alabama will get
Sale, $3.50; and the fifth and last