Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-06-29

Governmental agencies dealing
with highway problems fully rec
ognize the vital military and eco
nomic Importance of the country $
roads. according to a letter from
Secretary of Agriculture Houston
to Arthur II. Fleming, chief of the
state councils section, council OF
national defense.
The secretary, whose department
administers the federal aid road act,
stated also that the government
recognizes that it is necessary to
construct. reconstruct or maintain
roads essential for military and
vital economic purposes and to de-
fer action on roads not of this
class: and that it is desirable,
wherever possible. to use local ma
terials for road building and main
tenance in order to relieve railroad
traffic.
important highways. as described
in the secretary's letter, include
only those utilized, or to be util-
lied, by the military establishment,
those which carry a considerable
volume Of materials and supplies
essential to war industries, and
those which have bearing on the
production and distribution Of food
supplies, connecting population and
shipping centers with surrounding
agricultural areas
Attention is called to the fOrma
ton of the United States highways
council. This body was suggested
by the secretary to coordinate fed
eraI agencies interested in highway
problems. The council is made up
of a representative each from the
department of agriculture, the war
department, the railroad admins
tration, the fuel administration and
the war industries boards. 1t viii
form unified agency for dealing,
on behalf of the federal govern
ment, with highway construction,
maintenance and policies. 1t will,
of course, through the Office of pub
lie roads and rural engineering OF
the department, continue the close
contact already established, both
formally by law and informally by
practice, with the state highway
commission in each state.
The Office of public roads and
rural engineering and the high
ways council will actively consider
the supply, for highway purposes,
OF road oils, asphalts and other 81
luminous road materials controlled
by the fuel administration, and the
matter OF priority production for
highway materials controlled by the
war industries board. They Will
also. in contact with the railroad
administration, aid in securing, so
far as practicable, facilities for the
TRANSPORTATION of road materials
and supplies. Furthermore, the
office OF public roads and rural en-
cheering viii act as the medium
for furnishing information and as
sistance on highway problems, es-
pecialIy 10 state highway author
tiles in meeting the various ditticu--
ties which they encounter.
When the United States entered
the war the work Of planning state
highway systems, so that, as far as
necessary and feasible, they would
connect with the systems of other
states, was well under way. This
resulted from efforts to administer
the federal aid road act, SO that the
roads OF vital importance for eco
nomic, military and other purposes
should first be dealt with. The fed
eral aid road act-involving an ag-
gregate fVe-year expenditure, dl-
reCtiy and from state and local
funds, OF S16O.0 600 in addition
TO at least S200.OO0000 spent indie
pendcntly each year by the states
provides that the states must main
tain the roads and that before any
money can be expended the roads
must be selected and approved ard
plans, specifications and contracts
submitted. Il also provides that
the federal government must in
speCt the construction OF the roads.
Soon after the United States en-
tered the war, the department Of
agriculture requested the state
highway commissions to join it IN
directing expenditures only on
roads OF prime importance for eco
nomic and military purposes. In
this undertaking, the secretary
says, the department has received
the cooperation OF state authorities.
The department has been actively
cooperating with the capital issues
committee in its task of keeping out
OF the market road bonds, the ISIS
ance of which was not urgent from
the point OF view Of aiding the ma
ton in winning the war.
The secretary also calls attention
to the fact that road engineers have
been provided by the department
for each of the army environments
and for work on roads elsewhere in
which military authorities were in
teTested.
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