Arizona republican., 1919-01-28

for their improvement and mainten- ance. This view of the subject is 1a. new in the United States, for Wash
 ington recommended in letter to
 Patrick Henry, that the roads of Nir
 ginia be taken away from the control
 of the county courts and be given to
 the state authorities. One of Hamil
 tons pct schemes was that of road improvement, and he recognized that
 roads left to local authority would
 never be satisfactorily built.
 During the past 90 years there has
 been more or less national legislation in regard to common roads. Several very comprehensive measures have passed one or another of the houses
 of the national congress, but the only road of any consequence constructed by the government was the National ! road (650 miles in length so feet wide. and macademizcd for width of 30 l feet). which was originally intended to 1 extend from the tidc-Water of the At ] l3ntic ocean tO tho Ohio river.
 It was built from Cumberland in Maryland, to d point in Ohio several hundred miles from tho Ohio river, and
 there it was allowed to stop, being fi-
 nally donated to the states through
 which it passed. In this was ended the
 first great effort of the federal gov
 ernment to build and establish,-as the
 constitution of the United States con-
 templated,-a system of postroads all
 over the country.
 There are among you many who
 nave heard the old pioneers tell of the
 many hardships. obstacles and diff
 culties encountered and mastered. in
 their progress to this and other sec
 tions of the west. The nation did not
 have sufficient funds to undertake
 ways of communication that were be-
 ing demanded of it. This condition
 presented an inducement to private
 capital to construct railways through
 this new. and developing region and as d result several lines were con =
 structed. But q railway without the necessary feeders in tho form of wagon
 roads over which the farmer. lumber man, miner, or rancher could haul his : produce to the shipping point. was only | half system. Federal assistance or initiative was lacking, and the burden
 of expense of construction fell upon the local unit to be carried on by men who knew little of the problem and . who had to make a little go far. They . had no organization, no machinery, nor any experience with which to be guid l ed. Their efforts resulted in an ex- . pedient There was no standardiza : ton. and the lack of skilled men 1T . such work led to lower class of road
 than the increasing traffic demanded
 Loads of rolling stock increased year 70 ly, and finally have resulted in the s present motor driven truck whicl e completely destroyed the road whicl . had served a purpose under former cir s cumstances.
 h The need for substantial roads Wa: t keenly felt. and the demand became | so strong that several states undertool
 the establishment Of highway depart c ment. These departments took owe . certain roads,-state roads,-an, q worked up an efficient and competen ' organization of skilled road builders . They studied their problems in eacl ,, locality and planned and constructs - roadbeds that would withstand tn l. traffic that would be imposed upol l them.
 X This proved successful. and seein $ which other states took up the matte IS and placed their road problems in tn
 hands of men qualified to handle then tt They eliminated all political sides c e the question, and found that the re e suits were entirely satisfactory. Tn G. road system thus constructed, invite It immigration. caused a remarkable ap > perciation of property, greatly reduce A the cost per ton mile for carriage. an
 was thes best advertisement the stat
 could have.
 Considerable educational work ha u to be done before state highway de U partments could be established, as lo u cal authorities were unwilling to re ( linquish control.
 '- State aid was added in most all tn sic, fx.e. . the matter of a state system of trun y lines Jagged and the demand for mor and better roads has come from almo. d every section of the country. The put u lie is coming to give more confidenC = to matters handled by the state an national governments
 oI This universal demand became $
 strong that many bills were introduce ie into congress relating to road cor y struction,but none received approva it as they did not safeguard the funC s, properly, nor did they provide for ar ot well connected and comprehensive sy. ie tenn. However, the 64th congre. h. passed q bill which became 8 law ( le July II, 1916. known as the 'Feder le Aid Road Act' which appropriate $. s75,000,000 to aid in the improvemel at of such roads as are now or may ;e used as post roads, and provided th l. that the work be done through a c, s operative agreement between the fe, D. eral government and the Variol r. states The secretary of agricultu ot acts for and on behalf of the feder is government. and the state highway d ut partments for and on behalf of the T. respective states.
 lg Under this law the state of Arizo, -e. has been apportioned the followil ed amounts: