Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1917-01-19
EXPERT EXPLAINS
GOOD ROADS BILL
How Government viii Improve
Nations Highways.
STATES CARRY HALF BURDEN
$4,000, 900 Will Be Taken From Ma.
tionaI Treasury In Next Five Years
and Equal Amount From Statss.
Measure Has Been Passive For Sew.
enty five Years.

and Equal Amount From States,
Measure Has Been Passive For Sew.
enty-five Years.
A. G. Batchelder of Washington, exec
utive chairman Of the American Auto
mobile association, national authority
on good roads, has written the follow
ing statement on what the new good
roads law, appropriating $75,OOO,O 900 for
the improvement Of public highways,
means to this country:
"When the congress of the United
States in 1906 passed an act which met
the approval Of President Thomas JET
ferson and provided for the laying out
and construction of road from Cum
berland, Nd. to Ohio, the commission
ers intrusted with the work were given
81 day in full compensation for their
services and expenses. They were
authorized to employ one surveyor, two
chainmen and one marker, the chain
men receiving So and the marker 81
per day. The first stagecoach bearing
United States mail from Cumberland
to Wheeling travelled over this road
Aug. /, 1918. And it continued fed
eral artery Of communication until be-
tween 1881 and 1874, when its parts
were taken over by the states through
which It passed.
July II, 1916. President Wilson in
the presence Of contingent Of good
roads enthusiasts thus spoke:
al take a great deal Of pleasure in
signing this bill and having a part in
the good work that has been done, par
ticularly because it tends to thread the
various parts Of the country together
and assists the farmer in his inter-
course with Others
1.-THE Bankhead Shackleford good
roads bill after more than three
fourths of century of passive policy
accentuated the return Of the federal
government to the policy Of aiding the
states in the construction Of public
highways.
States Must Carry Half the Burden.
"From the federal treasury in the Pc
Rod Of five years $75,OOO,OOO Is to be
distributed among the several states
on the condition that they contribute a
like amount, and the joint money Is
spent upon whatever roads the state
highway departments and the secre-
tary Of agriculture mutually agree
upon. In addition, the measure car
ried $1O,00O,OOO for the construction Of
roads in and adjacent to national for
est reserves.
1T should be noted that this federal
cooperation with the several states
safeguards the expenditure of the mon
ey in a manner totally different from
that contained in any other appropria-
ton from the federal treasury. While
the duly constituted state authority
suggests the roads which are to be i'm
proved and the manner Of improve
ment, the federal authority exercises a
power over the whole pro-
ceeding. Furthermore, If the state does
not properly maintain the road that
has been constructed with national and
state funds its apportionment for the
succeeding year is withheld until the
first built highway receives the needed
repair to bring it up to the standard
established.
in order to qualify for any of the
federal money state must equip It,
self with a highway department. Thus
it is that Indiana, South Carolina,
Georgia and Texas must provide this
within four year period
or forfeit their allotment, the money
in the meantime remaining in the fed
eral treasury.
National Road System Coming.
"Since highways improvement start
ed with a cooperation between state
and its counties and resulted In first
attention to the most used roads, and
finally in the taking over by the state
Of the trunk lines, it is not unreason-
able to assume that similar develop
ment will take place in reference to
the most important roads of the sew
eral states. First there will come
Joint partnership and ultimately the
establishment of a national road sys-
tenn not dissimilar to the one which
Yields France into a complete nation
and, except for incidental government
tai convenience, obliterates the divid-
Ing lines among its several depart
ments, which are similar to our states.
III we had forty eight states, each
one possessing relatively the same
area, population and resources as the
others, then it would be a reasonable
conclusion that state from its own
resources should build its avenues Of
as it provides other
things in the public utility class. This
also might be said of the county sub
divisions Of state.
But state is not divided into
equal parts, nor Is the nation divided
INTO equal states. The inevitable neces-
'ity In the building of that. which
serves a general good is to extend the
area of taxation so that the nation as
/ whole will contribute and cooperate
with the several states in such way
Is to encourage them toward a grad
lal matchmaking Of the largest COM
nercial zones and finally the parts of
which these zones are made up.