The Johnson City comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1916-1917, 1916-05-11
FOR A SYSTEM Of
NATIONAL HIGHWAYS
SECRETARY OF WAR EN-
DORSES SHIELDS-SMALL
GOOD ROADS BILL

WASHINGTON D. c., May T.
Secretary of War Newton d. Baker,
the baby" member of the Wilson
cabinet, has set forth some interest
ing views upon the subject of fed
eral participation in the building of
good roads in letter recently writ
ten to Senator George e. Chamber
lain, of Oregon, a copy of which was
made public here today by the Ma
tional Highways Association.
The letter is in response to re-
quest from Senator Chamberlain for
the war departments views upon
the Shields-Small bill providing for
preliminary investigation and re-
port on a system of national high
ways The report" provided for in
the bill is really survey to be pre-
pared according to recognized prin'
ciples of engineering" and to de
scribe highways to extend into or
through all the states of the United
States" Such highways are to be
main or trunk line highways con-
Meeting principal centers of popula-
| tion, or places suited to become local
points of communication" to be built
! and maintained by the federal gov
ernment.
Commenting upon this legislation,
Secretary Baker supports both the
"safe and wise business principle of
preliminary examination and report
and "the sound principles of central
control" His letter to Senator
Chamberlain reads as follows:
"War Department, Washington, D. c.,
| March 13, 1916.
"Hon. George E. Chamberlain, Chair
man Committee on Military Affairs,
Washington, d. c.:
my Dear SENATOR have the hon
or to present the following reply to
your request of the 10th ultimo:
eff congress desires to enter upon
the construction of system of ma
ltional highways, the general features
of the plan presented in the bill are,
| in my judgment, admirably adapted
| to produces the facts necessary for
such a consideration. 1t proceeds
upon the safe and wise business prin-
ciples of preliminary examination
and report, thus giving congress full
information collected by trained men
and the data so collected forms a
definite and essential basis on which
to found conclusions as to what ex-
tent, if any, and under what condi-
tions the federal government shall
embark upon such a project.
| 1T includes also the sound princi-
Piles of central control, thus insuring
standard and uniform results for all
sections of the country, and of COM
mitting expenditures to officers di.
rectly accountable to the federal gov.
ernment, and alive to the fact that
the largest possible outcome for the
money placed in their hands is eX
pected.
I'm addition to the advantages OF
the intelligent way of going at the
matter, and of the uniform and eco
nomical results to be- expected from
the method in which appropriations
are to be applied, the plan makes pos
sible special military advantage in
time of war through the fat thai
officers of the corps of engineers, or
whom, in war time, the work oi
mapping out the theater of operations
and constructing roads therein. de
pend, would have a wide knowledge
of our national communications, anC
a valuable, practical experience il
road construction. While all the
officers of the corps receive thorough
Theoretical instruction in the roat