The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-09-17
ROADS ACT
 IS A STEP
 RIGHT WAY Sheppard Asks Four Hun dred Million Federal
 Aid.
HIGHWAYS HAVE
 CAUSED DERISION
l5,069 Miles of Roadway Constructed in Three
 Years.

WGshingtuna D, C., Sept 1T.-Be- cause the people Of the United States have grown accustomed 10 progress sivc IeEislation and big events in the last eight years CT so, l. Is likely that | few paid any attention to tho news Item that Senator sheppard of Texas had Introduced bnl providing for tho appropriation of slg0. 900, ,OO0 to 1 carry out the federal good roads act l ! ct this marks ;Ee second step in ! luuE delayed and necessary journey | on the part ot this nation.
 For many decades the roads of America have caused dcrIsion, dis comfort and the waste Of many mil , Hons of dollars.
 Foreign visitors could not under stand American apathy, seeing the immeusity or the business involved and having 90 distinct recollection of l the wonderful highways Of Europe. Some states, it is true, learned their l lesson, but to the majority a good road was a rarity.
 f3ut the American is learning and quickly. The work started by the | Wilson administration in 1916 has : been such d speaking, paying sue ] cess that there is little doubt that 1 Senator Sheppards bill will pass l Congress, and that 4OO,0OO,OOO will i be expended in further improvements ! from 1921 10 1924.
 The distance across the United | States from the Atlantic to the Pa : c.nc is approximately $500 miles, In ] three years, with the Federal Govern ! ment putting up practically dollar l for dollar with the states, 15, ,O69 ! miles Of perfect roadway have been i constructed, or projects have been i approved and will be carried out 1 prior 10 1921 in every commonwealth ] in this nation Or, by way of com ' ParisOu, enough roadway to span the ! nation between oceans four times, l with something left over for a detoUr ! into Canada.
 l Considering the magnitude of the : crop production of the United States ! of the present day, it is regarded as 1 indeed fortunate that there are so 1 many miles of good roads for the ! hauling to market In fact, there IS i little doubt that the increased mile ! age of usabIe highways has proven ! a vital factor in increasing crop pro- i duction and enhancing the nations , wealth, as statistics testify.
 { floundered when good roads were l considered. Some were progressive, ! the majority indifferent It was evil
 dent that federal aid and supervision i were necessary to convince the peO- pie. The first chapter in the success i fuI story of good roads cOnstruc ction was written in 1912 when Congress voted an appropriation of $500,000 { for experimental purposes. This was : expended in worth while demOnstra- i tions and so successful were they i that in 1916 little effort was re- i quired to get a bill through Congress 7 for an appropriation of S75, 900, 900, , to be expended in five years, together l with S10OO,OOO a year for roads in ! national parks and forest reserves.
 ! This sum was augmented this i year. however, by a supplemental ap- 1 propriation of S2OO, O,OOO,OOO for the | states and $3,OOO,OoO annually for the l parks and forests, carrying the work . to 1921 This was a grand total of l S2T5, ,OOO,OOO for the general work, 1 and S19,OOO, 900 for the forests.
 ] But this appropriation has not been l entirely expended, even on paper. .. Up to August 31, 1919, the 15.069 miles of road planned, under way or actually constructed, mad cost Dul SIP, .7ST, of which the Federal Government had contributed S7Q, ,715,- . 743. Although the plan was to have : the Federal Government contribute dollar for dollar with the states, this
 is not always done as the United States cannot expend more than $20,-
 900 a mile. Tn many cases states
 have desired road improvement in
 -a-+frr19ar7y- nvfavOTa b1a IOc3 lilies
 and in these instances the states have
 gladly paid the excess costs of con
 struction. This accounts for the dis
 crepancy in the figures cited.
 The pioneers of the good roads movement naturally are pleased with ! the success of their persistent cru i sade, and are not backward in award ! ing President Wilson and his Demo- cratic colleagues the credit for the ! achievement.