Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-05-08

makes a good example of this mistake The city will
remain nameless novelists because they do
like have their little experience talked about
The great local road problem there stretch of
about thirteen miles of road extending along river
valley county enough funds to put it
n shape. city losing some business because
going around avoid the bad road
and local autonobilists had much of their pleasure
spoiled. live little city rose nobly to the
occasion. They inaugurated road day, when every
good citizen-business bankers, clergymen taxi
of them-turned out to work on
with picks and shovels About thousand of
them showed up. and their wives brought them picnic
lunches in automobiles and they toed nightly in the
sun. in way that deserved better reward Because
they DONE expert estimated that they had
damaged the road about $4,000 worth
Only about quarter of the millions spent annually
for roads in the have been spent in that can
be called thoroughly efficient. federal road
promises get results for all the money spent
roads. If 1t can do this, 1t will do much more than
through the direct expenditure of federal money.
The provides that IN order to share in the fed
appropriation each state work through
state highway commission Under the stimulus of this
law, highway commissions rapidly being
the states which did already Then the
plans roads be drawn by competent n
gineers submitted the experts in the Office of
public roads. All the money that the federal
governments spend jointly must be spent efficiently.
The example by this efficient work, the ratio of
results expenditures hardly fail to raise the
standard of all state and county road work and
a general demand efficiency. The system will
make available trained efficient
machinery road building that used in all
whether the federal government is
ating not.
The federal road provides for a hve-year build
program, and in accepting the cooperation ana
the national government each state practically
pledges itself to through with the for five
years. This Is important feature because
adequate progress be made in road building a
plan that only looks ahead When nation
state road work 1t is possible look
roads Of the United States a. single
network instead of forty-eght smaller networks and
fve-year program be planned and carried
improve the whole system much possible with
time and money available.
In order get the benefits Of the new law.
application be made through the state highway
board. Individual farmers, townships and counties
have sometimes gotten the idea that IL they
government will put up an equal sum and have applied
directly. All such plans must be approved and for
warded by the state highway department.
Great changes should brought about by the COM
pletion of this ambitious roadbuding project Mil
lions upon millions dollars will spent by
and nation there should be
profit American people in dollars and
costs 2S cents to haul ton mile the average
country road today On a hrst-class road Is
cents quite few tons hauled Amer
lean roads every year. II
With good roads. the farmer pick his inc
for hauling instead OF waiting the weather
being haul when he ought to be doing
thing else. good roads, the whole educational
must good roads, the only question is how to go
about getting them federal aid promises
to long in the right direction Its operation
will be worth watching.