New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1919-04-23
ROAD BUILDING IS
URGED BY HOUSTON
BIG CONSTRUCTION PROGRAM
FOR 1919 is READY FOR
EXECUTION.
PRESENT FREIGHT RATES ARE
ONE OF THE PRINCIPAL
OBSTACLES.


to expedite road construction under the
enlarged program recently authorized by
Congress, and the indications are that a
larger volume of highway construction
will be accomplished this season than in
any. previous year in the history of the
Nation, according to statement recently
issued by David F. Houston, Secretary
of Agriculture.
The requisite official machinery, for
executing this program that is, the De-
partment of Agriculture, through the
Department of Agriculture, through the
Bureau of Public Roads on the one hand,
and the 48 State highway departments
on the others already in existence. A
conference was held by the Secretary on
| March l with the State highway COM
missioners of the Eastern and Middle
| Western States and all phases of the
problem, and especially the interpreta-
ton of the liberal amendments of the
Federal aid road act, were considered.
The regulations issued under the act
have been carefully revised in the light
of past experience and of the sugges-
lions offered by the State highway de-
partments, the standard for plans, speci-
fcations, and estimates have been modi-
fed to meet special conditions existing in
some of the States, and other changes in
practices and procedure have been and
are being made-all with the definite
object of speeding up the work. The
appointment of Thomas H. Mcdonald,
chief engineer of the Iowa State Highway
Commission, as engineer in immediate
charge of the work of the Bureau Of
Public Roads under the Federal aid road
act, has just been announced by the
Secretary, and it is planned that, in the
near future, Mr.. Mcdonald will formally
assume the position of Director of the
Bureau of Public Roads.
Freight Rates an Obstacle.
1t developed at the conference on
March /, that the present freight rates
are one of the principal obstacles to the
active resumption and extension Of
highway activities. The situation was
laid before the proper officials of the
Railroad Administration on March l
by representatives of the Department
of Agriculture and of the State highway
officials They were given sympathe-
tic hearing, and the question is now under
active consideration by the Railroad
administration. It is hoped that a
favorable decision will be made in the
near future. Secretary Houston also has
taken up with the Secretary Of War the
question of releasing from the Army high
way engineers in this country and abroad
in order that their services may be
utilized during the coming road-con-
struction season.
| Appropriations.
The Secretary's statement in part, is
as follows: ~..
F'The Congress at it's last session, ac-
cepting the recommendations OF the
| Department of Agriculture, not only
made available from the Federal Treasury
large additional sums for road construc-
! ton in cooperation with the States but
also made some important amend
ments to the Federal aid road act. These
amendments will have the effect OF greatly
lessening the difficulties of selecting and
constructing needed roads. The amount
of Federal funds available for road build
ing on March l was over $4,000 900,
which under the law must be matched
by at least an equal amount from the
States, making total Of $145,8O0,O00,
including approximately $9,8O0,0OO from
Federal and State resources Tor roads
in the national forests. On July l..
$95, 100000 more of Federal funds will
become available for general purposes
and $4,O0O,OOO for national forest roads,
which, with equal contributions from the
States will provide an additional $685.
100000 for Federal aid road work
making an aggregate sum of $343, 100000
for the calendar year. In other words,
the 1919 program for Federal aid road
building is greater than any previous
annual road building mplishments
in this country. It is so great, in fact,
that the States will undoubtedly defer
taking up part Of the Federal funds until
1920, because experienced contracting
and engineering organizations must be
developed from the stagnant conditions
of the war period before any exceptional
amount Of road building gets underway.
State Road Plans Extensive.
The States and their civil subdivi-
! sions also will carry on large amount
Of road work without Federal aid. The
extent Of this is uncertain and will de-
pend upon local labor, industrial and
agricultural conditions. The present in
dications are that approximately
$3.50, 100000 will be spent in this way. rs