Arizona republican., 1919-07-01
The Townsend Bill


 The national highway bill introduced in congress by Hon C. E. Townsend of Michigan is generally hailed by good roads men as 8 proposed advance in national highway construction proposal for great ordination of effort in that direction It vides for federal highway commission whose au- thorty is to be substituted that of the secretary of agriculture under the Bankhead law. It is not designed that there shall be interference with the aid plan which has been found to be bene- ficiaI but the commission is authorized to make recommendations to the future operations of that plan after next year.
 The bill gives to the commission the selection of locations lines in each and to build in each trunk lines in each and to build in less than two per cent nor more than five per of the total mileage of the state. The commission join the trunk lines of each state with the trunk Ines of adjoining states make complete national system.
 Under the Bankhead law such national sys tenn is contemplated but the government has pow CT to select the roads which federal aid be ap pied That rests with state highway department which it only theoretically assumed will cooperate with the highway departments of adjoining states but they do not always do In fact, they generally do not but are apt to yield local pressure for tho improvement of state roads which have little relation to a trunk line system. In the selection of roads federal aid under the present law, state highway departments under only stricon-the roads selected be rural post roads, The Bankhead idea as distinguished from the Shackleford idea when both before congress, contemplated the improvement of state roads, not necessarily connected with each other rather than continuous interstate roads.
 In criticism of the present law is said: "An federal aid projects with forty-eight different highway departments and such projects are con- idered forty-eight different lights by forty-eight different holding fortyeight different opinions and it can be that national plan that would evolve from such a procedure would be chaotic It is also impossible under the federal aid law ordinate the forty-eight systems plan would be finally evolved that would form connected system throughout the country in a life time"
 State highway departments are constantly chang ing with local administrations that if any of them in full accord with a national highway plan it could not be assured that their successors would be. In also where attention given to high way construction states have laid systems of highways usually by legislatures without reference contemplated improvements by neighboring states. Cooperation between states can be secured only by informal conferences of committees between the states. But generally legislatures only under To- -al influences which do not take into anything beyond neighborhood benefits Thus state highway sstem is compromise of various conflicting local interests.
 For the support of the Townsend bill federal council with headquarters in Washington was estab- lished last April Steps have been taken for the organization composed men active in state good roads associations other good
 
 everywhere the necessity of coordination if we are have a national system of good roads within next fifty years. Under the present procedure could have until all the state systems have been completed.
 It is proposed not to interfere with state systems Iut that the work of improving the national high ways may be carried on hand in hand with local inn lrovements to the advantage of both.