Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1917-01-04
Federal Aid will Result in Com
prehensive Highway System.
WISCONSIN MUST LAY OUT
COMPLETEPLAH NEXT WINTER


way system. Upon it's decision will
rest whether Wisconsin will take a
great step forward and develop an
| inter-county highway system or con-
tinue to build local roads for local
needs solely-we have built 4,800 miles
of state aid roads in 5000 pieces. In
a measure, we are at the parting of
| the ways.
Next year, the first allotment Of Fed
eral aid for highways for the State
of Wisconsin will become available.
Under the Federal aid law, the state
| must accept the terms of the law and
make an appropriation equal to that
allotted to this state by the Federal
government for 1917-$385,0 83.14. For
| 1918, it will be the same amount; for
1919, $513,44428; for 1920, S641 ,805.35,
total of $1,925,416.05.
What makes the next session vitality
important is that the Federal govern
ment will require that next winter,
after the legislature makes the appro-
| priation and accepts the terms of the
| Federal law, the state highway de-
partment must submit definite and
comprehensive program for the full
| five-year period. Although the money
is available from year to year, the com
plete plan for the expenditure for the
full five-year period must re laid out
at the beginning. Secretary of Agricul-
| ture Houston, in discussing this fea-
| ture of the law says:
I'm accepting the terms of the act,
| the state, as matter of course, pledges
it's faith to the fve-year program. This
| is important because it makes posi-
| bic the arrangement of q comprehen-
| sive scheme of road building. Obvi-
ously, the expenditure of the entire
| amount of money contemplated under
| the act should be planned at the out
set as far as possible and road sys-
| TENS and projects be conceived accord
| ingly"
In further constituting the act, the
Department says:
"A state must submit to the secre-
! tary of agriculture, by it's state high
way department, a definite and com
! prehenslve program of construction
| for the five-year period, or as much
thereof as practicable, and subse-
quentls from time TO time an appli.
cation for Federal aid, known as
project statement, setting forth pro-
posed construction of each rural post
| road"
This means that next winter the
plan must be laid out for the utiliza-
| ton of the approximately 100000
Federal aid, which we will receive, the
100000 which the state must appro-
pirate to meet this, and an equal
amount which the legislature Will un-
doubtedly require the counties to ap-
propriate $6,000,000 in ALL
There is every indication that the
fve-year plan, or project, of highways
required will be through roads. A dis
patch from Washington throws this
light on the situation:
1.-THE office of public roads wsll, as
far as practicable, endeavor to have
the roads of one state connect with
those of another. The effort Will be
to have the roads continuous ia the
state and patches here and there will
not be constructed out of the Federal
aid money"
A further fact bearing upon this is
that, under the Federal act, the state
must guarantee the maintenance Of
highways built with Federal money,
else the Federal aid will be withdrawn
Wisconsin state aid highways are nov
maintained by the counties It is
obvious that Federal aid highways
must be maintained by the state as
the state could not be placed in
jeopardy of losing it's Federal aid
through the failure of the counties
to maintain roads built by Federal aid
In brief, the whole act means Fed
eral aid for main arteries, built un-
der state supervision, and maintained
by the state or under state super
vision.
Herein fits the plan and purpose of
the Good Roads Association of Wis
consin for a trunk line system of
roads for which it is conducting a |
statewide campaign. Let the present |
state aid continue and be. utilized |
in the present way, as it is done in
most places, in the development of |
local roads. Let the Federal aid and |
accruing amounts be applied to the |
building of inter-county lines-thus
taking care of the local and broader
aspects of the road problem, and, fin
ally, carry into effect this plan as fol-
lows:
Provide by statute that the State
Highway Commission shall be en-
powered to lay out a prospective state
trunk line system for future develop
ment, and that in this system shall be
incorporated the five-year plan, or pro-
ject, to be submitted to the Federal
government for its approval upon