The Cordele dispatch. (Cordele, Ga.) 19??-1971, 1919-03-28
FEDERAL ROAD AID

history in the matter of road con
struction. In view of the unprecedent
ed appropriations of funds for Fed
eral aid for road projects and the
activities of the State in extending
their bodybuilding programs the
prediction appears to be fully JUST
fled.
Federal aid for road construction
| for 1919, 1920, and 1921 has been pro
vided on a more liberal scale than
ever before. If millions of Federal
/ funds are not absorbed by the the
States in State roads projects, it will
| be no fault Of the Federal Govern
ment Millions are available. How
| completely the possibilities of the
prose-, opportunity are approximate
ed depends on the State administra-
lions.
Federal funds to the amount of
1866, 100000 will have been made
available for State road pojects by
the end of the fiscal year of 1921.
| Under legislation enacted prior to
the last Congress there are available
for 1917, 1918, and 1919-and now
appCrtioned among the States-$29,-
100000 To this, the last Congress
added $4S, 100000 for the fiscal year
1919, making the total Of Federal aid
for road construction to the end of
the fiscal year 1919, $77,6OO,OOO. In
1926 there will be $92.150,O00 avail
able for this work. and in 1921 an
additional $4,000, 900.
The last Congress amended the
rcd ,ral.aid law in such fashion as to
give the States more latitude in
building. These changes became a
law through the passage of the Post
Office appropriation bill, sections
5 and Of which read as follows:
"Sec. 5. That the act entitled AN
act to provide that the United States
shall aid the States in the construc-
ton of rural post roads, and for other
purposes, approved July /, 1916, is
hereby amended to provide that the
term rural post roads, as used in
section of said act, shall be CON
strued to mean an ypublic road a
major portion of which is now used,
or can be used, or forms a connect
ing link not to exceed 10 miles in
length of any road or roads now or
hereafter used for transportation of
the United States mails, excluding
every street and road in place hav-
ing population. as shown by 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: Provided. That section
6 of said act be further amend so
that the limitation of payments not
to exceed $4,000 per mile, exclusive
of the cost of bridges of more than
20 feet clear span, which the Secre-
tary of Agriculture may make be,
ana the same is, increased to $4,000
per mile.
Sec. 6. That for the purpose of
carrying out the provisions of said
act, as herein amend, there is here
by appropriated, out of any money in
the Treasury not otherwise appro-
priated, the following additional
sums: The sum of $5O,OOO,OOO for the
fiscal year ending June 80, 1919, and
available Immediately; the sum of
$75,O00,000 for the fiscal year end
ing June 50, 1920; and the sum of
$I3,OOO,000 for the fiscal year ending
June so, 1921; said additional sums
to be expended in accordance with
the provisions of said act Provided,
That where the constitution of any
State prohibits the same from en-
gaging upon internal improvements
or from contracting public debts for
extraordinary purpose in an amount
sufficient to meet the monetary re-