The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1917-04-26
Uncle Sam, Farmer
By Frederick J. Haskin
BUILDING A NATION, ROADS.

m nths than in any year since the
establishment of the Union. This
spring sees the beginning Of actual
building operations in 4 great campaign
for better roads. This campaign will
extend over years. 1t will not be
finished until there is first class road
system extending over the entire
United States.
The new system was inaugurated by
the passage of the Federal aid road act,
a piece Of legislation more important
than most people yet realize, that was
made into law at the last session of
Congress. During the winter the
machinery for putting the law into
operation was organized, and now with
the opening of the spring working
season the campaign begins The
Federal road act approprates $50, 600, 900
Of government money to be spent en-
tirely for better roads; it provides that
the state must appropriate an equal
amount, barring 1000, 900 of the sum,
which goes toward roads in national
forests. The states have taken up the
idea with so much enthusiasm that con-
SENTATIVE officials say that all indica-
tons point to the states covering the
government money with 81 for 81, 50
that all in all they will put up
S150,0Ol, 00O Thus about 1926. coo, 900
viii be spent for road building in the
next four years, under the supervision
Of the Office of Public Roads of the
Department of Agriculture.
Nobody at this time has any doubt as
to the immense Importance of adequate
roads. Twelve years ago, the states
We're spending about 100000 a year
on roads, while today it is estimated
that the nation is spending through
various channels $500, 900, 900 yearly on
building and upkeep. When Uncle
Sam goes down into his wallet for
$500, 900, 600 year for anything it is
pretty certain he needs it. The amount
is more than half the cost of the
Panama Canal.
There are some pretty sad facts con-
nected with this annual road budget of
S30O,000000. We pride ourselves on
being business nation, the world looks
to US for business efficiency before all
other peoples, and in general we live
up to our reputation, but our road
funds have been spent in Yerv unbusi-
nesslike fashion. Experts estimate
that about $50,O00,00O a year of the
annual local road expenditure served no
really useful purpose. This sum was
an absolute loss, not due to dishonesty
or malicious intent, but solely to the
lnadequacy Of the system.
This road problem has come on US
with rush. 1t is twentieth-century
problem, born of the growth of the
cities, of the popularity of the automo-
bile. Thirty years ago the road problem
might conceivably have been consider
ed as local problem. Today the only
possible way to consider it is as a ma
tional problem. The road from Browns
farm to Smiths store is something more
than a road from Browns to Smiths
II Is link in the chain that connects
Maine and California, and has to be re-
garded as such. 1t is no longer a ques-
ton OF whether the road is good enough
for Brown and Smith, but whether it is
good enough for national traffic.
There has been Of late plenty Of en-
thusiasm for better. roads, but people
did not realize sufficiently that building
a modern road is a job tor an expert.
The experience of vigorous, busting
little Western city makes a good ex-
ample of this mistake. The city will
remain nameless, as the novelists say.
because its people do not like to have
their little experience talked about.
The great local road problem there
was stretch Of about Is miles of
road extending along a river valley.
The county did not have enough funds
to put 1t in shape. The city was losing
some business, because auto tourists
were going around to avoid the bad
road and local automobiles had much
of their pleasure spoiled. So the live
little city rose nobly to the occasion. 1t
inaugurated road day, when every
good citizen-business men, bankers.
clergymen, taxi drivers and all the rest
of them-turned out to work on that
road with picks and shovels. About
LOCO OF them showed up, and their
wives brought them picnic lunches in
automobiles, and they toied nightly in
the sun, IN way that deserved a better
reward, because when they got done an
expert estimated that they had damag
ed the road about 5000 worth.
The law provides that in order to
share in the Federal appropriation each
state must work through state high
way commission. Under the stimulus
OF this law highway commissions are
rapidly being created in the states
which did not already have them.
Then the plans for new roads y,us+ bo