The Prescott daily news., 1916-05-05
PROVISION FOR INVES.
 TIGATION AND REPORT
Preliminary Plan for System National Highways Made in
 Joint Bill Now Pending Before Senate and House Committees


 Washington, May 5.-Provision for an investigation and report to Con- gress of a preliminary plan for a sys- tenn of national highways by the Corps of Engineers of the army is made in a joint bill now pending be- fore the Senate and House Commit tees on Military Affairs. The bill was introduced in the Senate by Senator John A. Shields of Tennessee and in the House by Representative John H. Small of North Carolina.
 In particular this bill embodies the principle of having conducted scien- titic investigation and survey of the highway routes upon which federal funds are to be expended before the work of construction is begun. It seeks, it is said, to prevent the hit or miss building of roads by the Federal Government which are located, not by expert surveys, but by local political influence, roads which begin anywhere within State and end nowhere in particular. The danger of having federal funds for good roads expended in such fashion has already caused the dangerous cry of pork" to be raised in Congress when the good roads ap- propriation bills were under discus sion.
 Under the terms of the Shields Small bill, the Federal Government would devote it's funds and energies solely to the construction of main or trunk-line highway units connecting and correlating the highway systems within the States. Instead of provid- ing funds to pay part of the States bills on State roads, the Federal Gov ernment would take over, to build and maintain entirely, certain of the prin- cipal highways. That would relieve the States of considerable part of their present burden and would allow them to devote more money to the building of more miles of good roads radating from the federal highways. Counties would then build good roads radating from the State highways, while townships or individuals would build good roads feeding the county highways. Thus the entire country would be woven together by network of highways each system feeding the other, as is done by the railways.
 The Shields-Small bill was drawn by MT Cyrus Kehr, of Knoxville, Tenn, member of the National High ways Association, in cooperation with Senator Shields, Representative Small and engineer officers on duty at the War Department. While the bill em- bodies two of the principles for which the National Highways Association has contended in it's Good Roads cam paign, it is not particularly supported by the Association which thus far has lent it's support to principles only and not to any particular piece of legisla- ton.
 That this effort to have Congress provide a preliminary highway plan prepared according to recognized principles of engineering and to pro- vide for federal interstate highways before federal funds are spent, marks the trend of sentiment upon this sub ject here is indicated in the debates upon good roads measures which have recently occurred in Congress. In the debate upon the Bankhead bill, Sena- tor George w. Norris, of Nebraska, said:
 "I think the contribution of the Federal Government ought not to go to all of the roads in the country. It ought to be confined to a system of highways"
 This idea of restricting the federal participation in highway construction to system of main interstate trunk lines to be located by an expert sur vey is now supported by the repre- of many States and many Congressional Districts. The opinion is growing that in this way such fed eral funds as are devoted to good roads construction will be spent to- ward a definite object, the highest economic results will be realized and the movement will be saved from con-