The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1916-05-18
NEW FEDERAL ROAD am.


Senator Bankhead, of Alabama, has
within the last week achieved the
greatest constructive triumph of his
life in the passage by the United
4 States of the bill providing for, the
! building Of good roads in this country
under conditions respectfully JEALOUS
Of the limitations of the Constitution
the necessities of the people and the
rights of the States. The Bankhead
Bill has been passed by the Senate
by a safe majority and is a substitute
for the Shackleford Bill which passed
the House by an overwhelming vote
some weeks ago 1t will now go ia
conference and as it covers the pro
visions in the ShacklefOTd Bill, and
more, it will doubtless be agreed UP.
on by the two houses and become law
with the approval of the President.
The Bill authorizes the Secretary OF
Agriculture to co operate with the
States through their respective
State highway departments. in the
construction of rural road posts. A ru-
raj post road means any public road
| in the United States over which the
| United States mails are transported
A state highway department means
| any department, commission or official
or officials charged with the work or
dinarly directed by highway depart
ments. The Bill provides that the
reads built under its terms shall he
properly maintained" which means
that they shall be kept in as good
condition as when they were first
built 1t is further provided that the
roads constructed under this law
shall be maintained by the States or
| by subdivisions of the States.
The bill approprate3, out of any
money in the Treasury not otherwise
appropriated" the sum of $4,000 001
for the construction of rural posts in
| the States and $10,000,000 for the
building of the roads in the National
parks. The appropriations are to be
aportioned among the several States
| in this manner: One-third in the ra,
| ito which the area of each State bea .
| to the total area of all the States;
one third in the ratio which the popu-
latiOn of each State bears to the total
population of all the States. as shown
| by the latest available Federal cen.
Gus; one third in the ratio which the
mileage of rural delivery routes and
Istar routes in each state bears to the
total mileage Of rural delivery routes
ard star routes in all the States For
the fiscal year ending June 80, 1917,
! the sum of $5,000,000 will be appropri.
ated for the fiscal year ending June
| 80, 1918, $10,000000; for the fiscal
year ending June 80, 1919 $1,000 600;
for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1920
$40 100000 and for the fiscal year end
| ing June go 1921, 100000.
The management and distribution
| of the oad-building fund will be in
! the hands of the Secretary of Agri-
culture who is authorized ITO make
rules and regulations for carrying CAt
the provisions of this act" The act
specifies that mo money appOrtiOned
under this act to any State shall be
expended therein until its legislature
| shall have assented to the provisions
of this act" The Secretary cannot
hay out any money on any road pro-
! ject until the plans, specifications and
| estimates for such project have been
! submitted to him and approved by
| him; nor until he has received salts
! factory assurance that the State has
/ provided in money, labor and mater.
ial an amount equal to the amount to
be received from the United States
! for expenditure on such project; nor
/ until satisfactory agreement shall
| lave been made on the part Of the
State that the rural post road built
Under the terms of the Act "will be
properly maintained by the State. or
and subdivision thereof" The SecIe-
tary of Agriculture cannot make any
payment for road construction under
the Act lin excess of $4,000 per
mile, exclusive of the cost of bridges
of more than twenty foot clear span.