The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1916-02-13
Senator's and Representatives
Will not Be Able to Do as
They Please with It.

WASHINGTON. Feb. 12.-If the
Senate passes the Shackleford bill
which got through the House by O
clean majority of 200. the $25,0O0,O 900
appropriation provided in the bill oul
Of the pubic treasury to aid in the
construction Of post roads will not
be Immediately available for the use
OF the Senate in road construction
the money will be under the direction
The apportionment and distribution o.
of the secretary Of agriculture
on conditions which he will prescribe,
The money will not be shoveled out
Of the treasury "jnst So to please
the constituencies Of any representa-
tive or senator or particular group OF
representatives or senator's who may
have been most active in the enact
ment Of the law. and the man with
the largest shovel will not get for
that reason the biggest share OF the
fund. Other things being equal the
states with well organized highway
departments will be preferred in the
distribution, the law assuming that
the states which have provided for
the construction of public roads I'm
der competent direction can be most
Srsfely entrusted with the disposition
the fund appropriated by the Con-
gress at Washington.
The states must first make applica-
ton to the secretary Of agriculture
for aid in the construction OF any
rural post road, the secretary must de.
termine whether or not the applica-
ton 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
him and within such estimates as to
cost as In his Judgment would be fair
and reasonable. In order that the
government get what it pays for, the
secretary will be required to inspect
through its agents tho quality Of con-
struction and in no case can he pay
less than thirty per cent nor more
than fifty per cent OF the reasonable
cost Of construction and maintenance
OF any rural post road. 1t will be
seen, therefore, that the federal treas
ury will be securely guarded in tho
expenditure Of the good roads
aud that this fund will not be dissi-
pated 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 here
tofore made looking to the permanent
improvement of the highways OF the
country.
Will Pass on Roads.
Not only will the secretary Of agri-
culture direct the apportionment and
distribution of the federal aid fund
and designate the roads for improve
ment but he will pass upon the char
acter of roads that shall be construct
ed, and this is a most important elc-
ment in the whole problem. There
are in the United States about 2,240,-
900 miles of public roads; but it is
not intended or desired or necessary
that they should all be constructed of
the same materials or on the same
plan. They must be surveyed and To-
Gated by competent engineers so that
they give the best service to the traf-
fic, 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 culyerts, and they
ought to be of standard width; but
they cannot be and need not be con-
structed of the same materials. 1t is
estimated by the United States Office
of Public Roads and Rural Engineer
ing that the thorough scientific i'm
provement of about eighteen per cent
of the rural post roads, which are the
main highways Of the country. would
take care of ninety per cent OF the
traffic; but this improvement must be
made on approved plans directed by
efficient builders and with careful re-
gard to the service required OF the
roads so improved. 1t would be waste
Ito spend public money on the almost
impossible task of improving hun
dreds Of thousands Of miles OF branch
roads that lead to the farm gate rath-
err than to build the main roads so
that the farmers, by draining and
dragging the mile or two necessary
to get on the main road, can have
easy access to market" 1t would be
little short of criminal TO build ma
cadam roads in the sand clay country
where sand and clay would serve all
the demands OF the traffic and at one
tenth the cost.
This point was emphasized in a re-
cent address Of j. Z. Pennybacker,
United States chief Of road economics,
to the convention OF Virginia road
builders. 1.-THE Creator" he said, Eek
ercised considerable influence in the
determination Of types Of highway by
so distributing road materials to make
the type conform to the material avail
able. He placed up and down the
length Of the great Valley Of Virginia
an abundance of limestone, thus max
ing feasible at moderate cost the con-
struction of limestone macadam roads.
It is idle to talk of building sand clay
roads in the valley Of Virginia, for
while the Creator gave to that ia
vored region an abundance OF clay. He
put most of the sand east OF the Blue
Ridge, and it can hardly be contended
that sand should be hauled TO the
valley Of Virginia in order to build
sand clay roads rather than 10 con-
struct limestone roads of native ma
terial. By the same token it would be
folly to haul limestone TO the east
ern, southeastern and southern parts
Of the state where sand and clay