The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-08-31
Federal-A
Road Act
Secretary Of Agriculture Dis
cusses Important Features OF
the Newly Enacted Law.

1 =
the Newly Enacted Law.
WASHINGTON. D. c., Aug. 3o.-At
a meeting Of the state highway ON
cials held August 16, 1916, in Wash
ington. to discuss tentative rules and
regulations for carrying out the fed
eral-aid road act the secretary OF
agriculture made the following state
ment:
THE federaLaid road act and an
other law-the cooperative agrlcuF
tural extension act-that the depart
ment is charged with the duty Of en-!
forcing, establish a new principle In
American government, the principle
of cooperation between federal and
state officers They are the only laws
/ recall which recognize and insist
upon this principle. They are there
fore very significant. Heretofore
federal and state officers have too
frequently looked at one another
across the line, sometimes with ap-
prehension as to what the other was
going to do or think, sometimes with
jealousy, not infrequently with fr1c-
ton. We serve the same people. They
have a right to the best service OF the
representatives of both jurisdictions.
You represent the states. | repre-
sent the federal government. To-
gether we are charged with the exc
cution of a very difficult and very i'm
portant law.
81 need not emphasize before you
the importance of good roads Most
Intelligent people who think about
good roads know that they are essen
tial to comfortable living, essential
to proper community development, es-
pecially to the development Of rural
life, to efficient production and or
derly marketing of farm products. to
good schools. and to the development
of a satisfactory rural life.
MANY people, however, do not ap-
preciate this, and I 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 OF
especial Importance, not SO much be-
cause it carries with it out of the fed
eral treasury an appropriation OF
eighty-five millions of dollars, not be-
cause 1t will be met by an appropria-
ton of seyenty-five million or more
out of state funds, IL all the states &C
eept the act, but because as great As
is the aggregate, it is relatively insig-
niticant in comparison with amounts
the states are now annually expend-
,riv f1a ind
covered by the act.
Il remember that, on one occasion.
when I was speaking to public Off
cial about the road bill and suggest
ed that we ought to begin with mod
est initial appropriation Of three, four
or FIVE millions Of dollars, he express
ed 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 trifling with the mat
ter. / asked him II he knew what the
people Of the nation were contribut-
ing annually for road building, that
the nation was already expanding the
equivalent OF nearly half OF what the
Panama canal has cost. OF course
he did not And the majority of peo-
pie do not realize that the nation is
expanding approximately $3.50, 000, 900
8 year for roads.
A Dollars Result for Each Dollar Ex-
pended.
THE main question that I am i'm
mediately concerned with, that the
people OF the nation are Immediately
concerned with, is whether we shall
get dollars result for every dollar
we expend for roads am quite sure
that If we do so and We can convince
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 matter of ad-
ministering this law. of devising good
road systems, OF careful selection OF
roads, of formulating projects, OF de-
veloping plans and specifications, OF
having all matters considered on their
merit by competent men, seem to me
to lie at the root OF this business. II,
as the result Of this act, the people
are induced fully to realize the neces-
sity Of placing skillful and exper-
fenced men in charge Of road building
and read maintenance, a great ai-
vance will have been made and the
efforts of those who labored to secure
the legislation Will have been reward
ed.
Employment Of Experts.
81 assume, as matter of necessity
that this law will require the employ
ment in every state of experts, of real
experts. This word is very much mis-
used and abused, as the word 'theorist'
is. I frequently hear a contrast drawn
between the theorists and the practi-
cal men. There is no basis for it.
The classification ought to be into
good theorists and bad theorists, of
practical men and impractical men.
A really good theorist is highly prac-
hcai; and so is a real expert. The
public is somewhat suspicious of ex-
perts, because, / think, so many peo-
pie pose as experts who are not. When
the public sets an expert aside. il is
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