The copper era and Morenci leader., 1916-02-04
HAYDEN ADVOCATES FEDERAL AID FOR
 GOOD ROADS
In Speech in House of Representa- tives Last Monday Arizona Con. gressman Says Lets Do 1t Now."
BILL CARRIES s25,OOO.OO
This Amount Apportioned Among Several States. Arizona's Pro Rata Will Amount To $117,000 As Provided in ShackeIford Bill.

In the House of Representatives on the 24th ult., the Rural Post Roads Bill was under consideration in the Committee of the Whole.
 i At the conclusion of the remarks by MT. Shackelford, he yielded the floor to Representative Hayden of Arizona, who addressed the House on this important subject as follows:
 MT. Hayden MT. Chairman, what policy shall be adopted by Congress respecting national-road legislation? /, The opinion is almost unanimous among the Members of both Houses that good roads are necessity; that | it is desirable that the Federal Gov ernment contribute in some measure to their construction and mainten- ance, and that ample authority is found in the Constitution to permit Appropriations by Congress for this purpose. The only question is as to the method of procedure.
 In common with a number of other Congressmen, have introduced bill to provide for national aid to the several States in the construction and maintenance of rural post roads, and while the pending measure does not entirely conform to my idea of what a good roads bill ought to be, yet intend to give it my heartiest support hecause ' know that the Committee on Roads has given most careful consideration to this legisla- tion. Like most all of the other bills the Shackleford bill contemplates an annual expenditure of s25,00O,0O0 for road construction and maintenance by the Federal Government, to be apportioned among the States and to
 the Secretary of Agriculture.
 The Secretary will apportion the money appropriated among the States, after deducting sum neces-
 sary for administrative purposes and
 a furhter sum sufficient to provide for an allotment of S65,000 to each
 State, on the basis of population and
 the mileage of rural post roads and
 star routes. In this respect the
 pending measure differs from the
 bill which I introduced It appears
 to me that it would be more equitable to the Western States to apportion
 the money -one-third according to
 the number of Senators and Repre-
 sentatives to which each State re-
 spectively is entitled in Congress,
 one-third in accordance with the
 ratio which the area of each State
 bears to the area of the United States,
 and the remaining one-third according to the mileage of rural delivery and
 star routes. I have no doubt, how good reasons for adopting the method
 of dividing the appropriation as pro vided in this bill.
 The bill before us very properly provides that in allotting Federal aid the Secretary of Agriculture shall deal with the States as units and not l with the counties or other subdivis- ions, as has been proposed in the bills which passed this House on former occasions. After groping around learning costly lessons by ex- ) perience, we have finally reached the conclusion that there is too much To- cal control in the business of build
 ing roads. The most efficient plan : that has as yet been advised in the
 United States for the construction and maintenance of public roads is l to create a State highway deaprt- ment. Over one-half the States have , already adopted this method of super. vising their road work, and the pass age of this bill means that before l very long every State in the Union : will provide by law for State high | way department or a State highway 3 engineer having authority to super r wise and direct the construction ana
 maintenance of the public roads ana 7, highways of the state :
 | By recognizing and encouraging tht d establishment of State highway de /; partments we permit each State t, a solve it's own road problems. Tn, l. State of Maine is one of the summe
 Continued on Page Two)