The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1916-12-28
Requests of State Highway
Department Given
Big Boost.
TOREVISE MOTOR TAX
Total Recommendations For
State Expenditures Now
$4,000,000.

The state highway department has
boosted the size of its request for
money for roads 100000, and now
expects to ask for an appropriation of
81 100000 when the legislature con-
venes. The department had planned
on asking about $1,000,000 but finds
that sum would be insufficient to per-
init it to carry out its program.
This brings the state budget, as pro-
posed by the departments, to approx
mately $4,000,000.
Money to be asked for by the high
way department is to he spent in the
construction of highways for which
appropriations have been made by the
federal government
Revised Motor Tax Wanted.
revision of the motor vehicle tax
law will be recommended by the COM
mission to the legislature, with a view
to providing more funds for the main
tenance of state highways, and to also
do away with what the commission
terms the present injustice in the mat
ter of the assessment of the tax.
The commission will ask measure
permitting the highway department to
issue credit memoranda or certificates
funds are not available for the pay
ment of work done on roads.
New Fund System Proposed.
A state highway maintenance fund
and a state highway construction and
improvement fund are wanted by the
commission. 1t would have the two
funds replace the present state high
way funds.
The commission asks authority in
special cases to do work on the roads
by force account where sum not ex-
ceeding $4,000 is to be expended on a
project.
Recommendations from the COM
mission to the legislature will be CON
tained in the biennial report from the
highway department The report is
now I'm the hands of printers.
Government ApprOpriates $43O,OOO.
The national government has promis-
ed to appropriate $4,000 to be used
in constructing the highways listed be-
low, while the counties have told the
commissioners that they would put up
81 .SSS000.
The names Of highways designated
| by the commission and the sums of
| money to be spent on each follow:
park, $S7 439; Sawtooth park, $685.
592; Idaho Montana, $685. Idaho
| Utah, $2S, ,S47; North and South $685.
600; Lewis and Clark, $4,000; North
Pacific, 100000; Panhandle, $165, 200.
Must Keep Faith With Counties and
Nation.
THE $1,50O,OOO appropriation to be
asked of the legislature by the high
| Il g.. Ia.
the state during the next biennium is
the total which it will be necessary to
provide If the state is to cooperate
with the federal government and with
the several counties i'm the work they
desire to do upon the roads of the
state" said T.. NJ. Booth, state high
way engineer. Wednesday in discuss
ing the budget being prepared by the
commission.
THE highway department does not
desire any appropriation in excess of
the amount needed to keep faith with
the counties and to insure the obtain
ing of Idaho's full quota of federal
aid. The time to cooperate in road
building is when all parties are ready
to do their share.
"As the department has been as
sured by officials in nearly every
county in the state that they want to
avail themselves of state aid, it is es-
timated that this will require $500,000
of state funds in 1917 and an equal
amount in 1918. In addition to this
there will be available federal aid for
use in this state during 1917 and
1913 which, if used will require
nearly $500,000 more The total
| which the state should provide is
therefore S1.500000 if it is to coop
| crate fully with the counties and the
national government.
Even this sum will not be suffic-
: lent to insure the completion of the
, whole state highway system, but only
some Of the more important trunk
roads,"
Extend North and South Highway to
California
State Highway Engineer Booth, who
reached the city yesterday from Boise,
says the Lewiston Tribune, brings the
. information of further important de
velOpment in connection with the north
: and south state highway The develop
ment applies to plans now receiving