The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1919-04-04

"a nan will have been made available
for state road projects by the end OF
49,, fiscal wear of 1921 Under legisla-
tio, enacted prior to the last Congress
,,,,.o are available for 1917, 1918. and
1o1q-and now apportioned among the
cta+as-s29. 100, 900. To this, the last
congress added $4S,5O0,0OO for the fis-
cal YEAR 1919, making the total of Fed
oral aid for road construction to the
o,,d of the fiscal year 1919, $77,6OO,OOO.
In 1920 there will be S92,15O,000 avail
ob,a for this work, and in 1921 an addi-
tional s97, 100000.
The last Congress amended the Fed |
pr,,l-aid law in such a fashion as TO
Give, the States more latitude in bu1ld- |
ino These changes became a law thru
the massage of the Post Office appro- |
,,ria1ion bill sections and OF which !
read as follows:
Sec. ). That the act entitled An act
70 n,oyide that the United States shall
aid rI,, States in the construction Of
,,1rsl post roads, and for other pur-
noses approved July 1. 1916. is hereby
amended to provide that the term rural
most roads, as used in section 2 of said
act shall be construed to mean any
n1blic road major portion of which is
now used or can be used or forms a
connecting link not to exceed 10 miles
in length of any road or roads now or
hereafter used for the transportation
of the United States mails, excluding
every street and road in place having
a population, as shown b. the latest
available Federal census, of $500 or
more except that portion of any such
street or road along which the houses
average more than 200 feet apart: PRO-
VIDED. That section of said act be
further amended so that the limitation
of nayments not to exceed $4,000 per
mile, exclusive of the cost Of bridges OF
more than 20 feet clear span, which the
Secretary of Agriculture may make, BE-
and the same is, increased to $4,000
per mile"
North Carolina will get $25,O00,OOO OF
this Federal Fund. to be received in in
stallments of s2,5OO,OOO year for 10
years. How much of this money Pas
nuotank and other northeastern North
Carolina counties VIII get depends, in
a measure upon the enterprise and ini-
alive of their road commissioners.
Road building authorities are pre-
dieting that 1919, 1920, and 1921 will
prove the greatest in the country
history in the matter of road construc-
ton, In view of the unprecedenteo
appropriations of funds for Fedora
aid for road projects and the activities
Of the States in extending their road
building programs the predlctlon ap'
pears to be fully justified
The division of Public Works and
Construction Developments OF the
United States Department of Labor Is
authority for the statement that there
has been a revision and enlargement
of road building plans in almost every
State in the Union since the signing o.
the ar1nistice. This is due not only II
the pressing need for road construction
which has been suspended during th'
war except where construction wa
essential to military activities, but als'
to the obvious desirability and prudenc
of getting public works under way 81
there may be such a demand for laoo
as will absorb the labor surplus.
Ultimately there will be a labo
shortage in the United States. A
present there is a surplus, and TINS
apt to grow to embarrassing proper
tions during the next few months OIL oe
mobilization if no conscious effort
made to Immediately revive bu1ldln
and construction activities to PROVO
buffer employment until our induStr1a
readjustment has been completed
Quite as important is the effect OF a
aooo1oratinn of cOnStruCt1O
work on general business conditions
Federal, State, and the municipal con
stuction projects, assisted by privat
and corporation building act1V1t1e
will be potent stimuli for general bus1
ness and will prevent the stagnat1o
which would spell commercial disaste
Federal aid for road construction Il
1919, 1920, and 1921 has been prov1o
Ell on more liberal scale than eve
before. If millions of Federal func
are not absorbed by the States in sta
road projects, it will be no fault of tt
Federal Government. Millions al
available How completely the poss
hilities of the present opportunity a.
Approximated depends on the State az
ministrations.
1t is admitted in the Department
Labor that present construction cos
are much higher than the prewar lev
In part this is accounted for by freig
rates on road materials establish
during the war to prevent the NOV
ment of these materials for work 9th
than Government work. There
every reason to believe these rates W
be revised at once. The effect of su
revision will be favorable to reduc
construction costs, but most authoriti
are agreed that prewar prices in tt
field will not be reestablished. T
condition of our currency and the ge
orally higher price levels througho
the world so these authorities ass'
Will not permit a return to prev
prices, and for these reasons prese
construction prices are not as abnorn
as the popular mind is prone to belle
them.
The Division of Public Works a
Construction Developments of the
partment of Labor asserts, regardl
of present construction prices, it is