Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1916-11-30
FEDERAL AID FOR
ROAD BUILDING
Preparations For Government
and State Work.

ldSC July anu since LLdC llule Ill uuCu
progress has been made in prepar-
ing plans for carry out the provi-
sions of the law which it is the duty
of the Department of Agriculture, of
which it is branch, to administer.
In order for federal aid to be grant
ed to any state it is necessary for
the legislature to accept the terms
of the act or for the governor to do
so temporarily until the legislature
has an opportunity to do so. The
legal branch of the Department of
Agriculture is now passing upon the
legal sufficiency of these assents, and
has already considered those of 1S
states.
The Secretary of Agriculture has
interpreted the law to mean that in
accepting the terms of the act
state, as matter of course, pledges
it's faith to tive-year program be-
cause the federal government will
furnish aid during fve-year per-
iod This he regards as important
because it makes possible the ar
rangement of a comprehensive
scheme of road building. He holds
that the expenditure of the entire
amount of money contemplated un-
der the act should be planned at the
outset so far as possible, and road
systems conceived accordingly This
does not bind the state legislature to
make an appropriation at the first
session for the five-year period; in
deed, this is prevented by the consti-
tions of some states. 1t merely in
wolves a pledge of the states faith to
continue it's appropriations to match
cording to the terms of the act. Cal
ifornia is the only state as yet which
has met every requirement of the
law. Georgia and Maine have COM
piled with all requirements except
the submission of a general program
of road improvements. In Connecti-
cut, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania,
Idaho and Louisiana, the pledge of
the states to match the federal ap-
preparations for five years have not
yet been given, but is expected soon.
The Office of Public Roads has
prepared state highway bill for the
considerable of the Texas legislature
and is cooperating with the Oregon
Association of County Judges in the
preparation of an entirely new road
law for that state. Drafts of road
bills are being prepared for South
Carolina, South Dakota and Nevada
at the request of officials of those
states.
For convenience and expedition
in handling the engineering work,
the country has been divided into 10
districts of which North and South
Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin
comprise Dist. No. 4, with head
quarters at St. Paul or Minneapolis.
Dist. Engineer, E. o. Hathaway.
The economic and statistical in
vestigations and the cooperative
work in legislative matters pertain
ing to federal aid work, and the
management of the administrative
details not connected with engineer
ing matters will be directed from
Washington by ]. E. Pennybacker,
Chief of Management.
A system of general inspection un-
der Director Logan Pages personal
control will be carried on by T. War
rem Allen, formerly State Highway
Commissioner of New York, and E.
w. James, formerly in charge of the
road maintenance work of the Office.
Six definite projects have been sub
mitted by the California Highway
department for using the federal al
lotment to that state for the current
fiscal year, and one of those was the
first project to be formally approved
under the federal aid road law. This
indicates that distance from Wash
ington has little effect in retarding
the granting of federal aid when the
terms of the act have been met by
state in every way. Georgia has
submitted four projects. Pennsylva-
mia three, Connecticut one, Colorado
one and Idaho one, and information
regarding projects to be presented
has been received from several 9th
er states.
When it is considered that road
management and road legislation in
many states. are in confused condi-
ton, due to lack of interest, the
influence OF local politics or uncer-
tainty regarding the best organiza-
ton for securing efficiency in such
work, the progress in this coopera-
tive work of the nation with the,
states Has been very satisfactory.
The experience since July shows
that there .tvill soon be EreGt~ino-