The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1916-07-22
We will Get Good Roads

much interest by the people of this
and adjoining countless:
MY DEAR EDIToR:-After rs years
of constant effort on the part of the
farmers Of this country, congress has
lust passed what is known as the bill
providing for national aid to good
roads. feel that every one in Colo
RADIO will be interested in knowing
definitely the direct benefits that our
state will receive by reason OF the
passage Of this bill.
The measure first appropriates So
OOO, 600 for the fiscal year beginning
July. 1, 1915: SIC, OOO, 900 for 1917; *l5,-
coo, 600 for 1918; $50, 600 for 1919 and
s25. COO, 600 for 1920, which sums are to
be expended by the secretary of agri-
culture, cooperating with the state
highway departments, in the con-
struction OF rural roads over which
the United States mails are or may
be hereafter transported.
In order to obtain the benefits of
this act the state must by act of the
legislature assent to it's terms, but
until the Legislature meets the gov
ernor can assent. And the state must
also contribute at least an equal
amount in money, material or labor
toward the construction of any pro-
posed road. The money appropriated
by this act will be apportioned among
the various states according to three
factors: One-third in the ratio which
the area of the state bears to the total
area of all the states; one-third &C
cording to population, and one-third
according to the milage Of rural de-
livery and star routes compared with
the total mileage of such routes in
the United States.
Colorado has of the total In the
Union, 3 40 per cent of the area; 1872
per cent of the population, and .S46
of the postal route mileage of the
United States BY consolidating these
three factors and dividing by three We
find that Colorado is entitled to l.738
PER cent of the total appropriations
made under this act, which means
that the following sums of money will
be appropriated for road construction
in Colorado at the beginning OF each
of the next five fiscal years: 1915, $780,
800; 1917, sl73, 1918, $3.50, 400; 1919
$347, 200; 1920, $4,000; total $l,3O2.-
600. In other words, $l,302, 900 will
be contributed from the federal treas
ury to assist in building highways in
Colorado during the ensuing five
years.
But this is not all the benefits that
Colorado will receive by the enact
ment of this legislation, for section 8
of this act. which in reality incorpor-
ates bodily my general forest reserve
road construction bill. H. r. lO,4O0.
appropriates one million dollars each
year for the next ten years, to be ex-
pended under the supervision of the
secretary of agriculture, upon the re-
quest of the state or county authori-
ties, in the construction and mainten-
ance of roads within, or partly with
in, the national forests. The state or
the counties in which the forest re-
serves are located are required to en-
ter into cooperative agreements with
the department of agriculture to pay
for the roads that they want built up
on basis equitable both to them and
~ a.. ITp;kad Ctptao Tho fadarol
government is to be reimbursed for
the money thus advanced by deposit
ing in the treasury ten per cent of the
revenues received from the timber
and forage resources OF the forest
wherein the roads are located until
the loan is paid. This forest reserve
provision in no ways interferes with
the present law whereby the state and
counties are now receiving for road
and school purposes % per cent of the
gross reseipts of the national forests.
The total area of all the national
forests of the United States Is 1876, 1856,
1853 acres, Of which little more than
one enth. or about IA. OOO, 600 acres are
located in Col ,rado. The national for
ests Of our state are ascvaluable in
timber and forage resources general
~ as reserves in other states, and it
is therefore reasonable to assume that
Colorado will receive the benefits of
this forest reserve provision In the
ratio which the forest-reserve area of
~ ~ <>fk Al,