The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1916-08-27
BY the Secretary OF the United
States Department of AgrI-
culture at Conference.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 26-At meet
ing of the state highway officials held
August l6 in Washington, to discuss
tentative rules and regulations for
carrying out the federal aid road act,
the secretary OF agriculture made the
following statement:
"The federal aid road act and anoth.
err law-the cooperative agricultural
extension act--that the department Is
charged with the duty Of enforcing,
establish new principle In American
government, the principle of cooper
alton between federal and state oil
GERS. They are the only laws / recall
which recognize and insist upon this
principle. They are, therefore, very
significant. Heretofore federal and
state officers have too frequently
looked at one another across the line
sometimes with apprehension as to
what the other was going to do OF
think, sometimes with jealousy, not In
frequently with friction. We serve the
same people. They have a right to
the best service of the representatives
of both jurisdictions. You represent
the states, | the federal government,
Together we are charged with the ex-
ecItion of very difficult and impoT-
tant law.
al need not emphasize before you tho
importance of good roads, Most in
telligent people who think about good
roads know that they are essential to
comfortable living essential to prop
er community development, especially
to the development of rural life, to
efficient production and orderly mar
keting Of farm products, to good
schools, and to the development OF a
satisfactory rural life.
"Many people. however, do not APP
preciate this, and | have occasionally
met road officers who when the I'm
portance of good roads was empha-
sized, have said Yes, but they cost
SO much. Apparently they have not
thought how much more bad roads
cost, not only in dollars and cents, but
also in all those indirect ways for
which one can make no definite calcu-
lation.
Large Expenditures for Roads.
This law appeals TO me as oil es-
necial importance, not so much be-
cause it carries with it out Of the fed
eral treasury an appropriation OF
eighty-Rve millions Of dollars, not be-
cause it will be met by an approprla-
ton of seyenty-five million or more
out of the state funds, If all the states
accept the act, but because as great
as is the aggregate, It is relatively IN
significant in comparison with amounts
thestates are now annually expending
and will spend during the period Gov
cred by the act.
~ remember that, on one OCCASION
when was speaking to a public ON,
cial about the road bill and suggested
that we ought to begin with a modest
initial appropriation of three, four or
Ave millions Of dollars, he expressed
surprise and said that such an
amount would not get us anywhere;
that the expenditure by the nation OF
few millions Of dollars for roads
would be merely trifing with the mat
ter. ! asked him if he know what
the people OF the nation we're contrib
uting annually for road building, that
the nation was already expanding the
equivalent OF nearly half Of what the
Panama canal has cost Of course nc
did not. And the majority of people
do not realize that the nation is eX'
pending approximately $25O,OOO'OOO a
year for roads
A Dollars Result.
"The main question that am I'M
mediately concerned with, that the
people Of the nation are Immediately
concerned with, is whether we shall
get a dollars worth of results for ev'
dollar we expend for roads, am quite
sure that II we do so and we can con-
vince the people that we have done
so, they will be willing to put much
more money into good roads where
they are needed. Therefore, the mat
ter OF administering this law, OF de,
yising good roads systems, of careful
selection Of roads. Of formulating pro
jects, of developing plans and speci'
fications, of having all matters con
sidered on their merit by competent
men, seem to me to lie at the root o.
this business. If, as the result Of this
90 a. ,,nonln oy.n fnHUnhA fully &c