Mohave County miner and our mineral wealth., 1918-12-21
NATIONAL H|GHWAY
Continued from Page One

route across the continent. It IS well watered; it is always close to rail road and supply points and dangers from breakdowns are reduced to mlnl- mum. Travel over it can be diverted to either Los Angeles or San Francis co without losing mileage. And one of the things in it's favor is that 1t IS now the only really passable route across the country. No other section has attempted to build road across Arizona or New Mexico but the Ma tional Old Trails. If the traveller reaches Phoenix from the east he has to make the jump to this highway to get into California, and he is never known to make the trip back that' way. But no matter where they are built we need them. Their building will make of the United States one of the greatest self-contained countries on earth and will employ hundreds of thousands of men and millions of ma terial. Secretary of Agriculture Hous- ton, in a recent interview, is credited with the following:
 | "It seems to me that we should take further step-take this step not only because of the importance of good roads, but also because of the desir- ability of furnishing worthy projects on which unemployed labor during the period of readjustment may be engag- ed. There will be many things sug- gested for which federal and state funds will be sought. Some of these will be unworthy. Clearly such pub lie works as roads are worthy, and it would be in the public interest to make available larger appropriations from the federal treasury to be used separately or in conjunction with state and local support.
 "There need be no delay in the eX- ecution of such program. The nation has already provided the machinery in the Department of Agriculture and in the state highway commissions. The federal aid road act was fruitful of good legislature, and each state in the Union now has a central highway au. thority with power and funds to meet the terms of the federal act. The two agencies, in conjunction, have been engaged in devising well-consid- cred road systems and in making sur- veys, plans and specifications. The task will be one of selection, and those roads should be designated for i'm provement which are of the greatest economic importance, with due regard to such military and other needs as are proper for consideration. There is no necessity for any departure from this scheme. The suggestions made have been canvassed with the presi. dent, the secretary of war and the postmaster-general, and they are ir accord with the view that additiona funds should be made available to this department and that they should be expended through existing machin ery.",
 To build a system of highways means the cooperation of the Nation states and communities. More thar 25 years ago the Miner asked our con gressman to take up the matter o1 good roads building to expedite the de- velopment of the great southwest, anc also as military necessity. We be lieved then, as we believe today, tha trunk lines of highways across the country would prove wonderfully eff ficacious in the development of oul wonderful resources and safeguard tho country against many of the evils tha might develop if we only had the single track railroads to depend on America is as far behind in the matter of good highways as is Mexico in tht matter of education, but we have nov come to period in our national lift where the whole country demands tha congress take action in making larg, appropriations for road building Heretofore the Nation thought in mil lions, now it is thinking in billions ant it will require billions to build tn, roads necessary to insure the economi life of the peoples west of the Ale gheneys. Every dollar of the expen allure will be repaid many fold in tn greater tax that will be imposed ol wealthier communities and by satis fled and contented people.