The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1919-06-13
MISSISSIPPI HIGHWAY COM
MISSION MAKES STATEMENT

S-Oit VI tIiS LcSiSiotAAS uueS bOIAplO
vide for an increase in the forces OF
the State Highway Department.
This fact was made apparent in
an interview given out by Xavier A
Kramer, State Highway Engineer
! in discussing the recent tremendous
, increase in Federal aid funds, and
the preliminary work that must be
done before any Of this money car
be obtained.
The present force Of the State
Highway Department consists Of the
Engineer, an Assistant and one Clerk
Government experts in estimating
the minimum requirements for the
Department if it is to function eff
GENTLY, and if it is to help secure
for the State hundreds of thousands
said recently that in addition to the
of dollars in Federal appropriations,
present force, five District Engineers
one bridge engineer, one craftsman
and one clerk would be needed.
The present appropriation for the
Department $4,000. A budget of
$4,000 would enable it to handle
the Federal funds that are already
available and those that will be avail
able in coming years, as we'll as to
| handle the enormous amount of road
building materials and machinery
the Government is ready to turn over
to the State
In order for county to receive
| penny from the Federal Roads fund
| said Mr.. Kramer. it is necessary that
project agreements be entered into
That is, if a county presents an apph-
, cation for Federal aid, the project
must be inspected by State Highway
officials, and reported in detail to the
Federal Government for APPROVAL. Un-
til this is done. the county gets moth
ing. After obtaining approved, it is
also necessary that the State Highway
Department furnish an inspector for
the work if it is to meet with the re-
Quirements of the Government
with our limited force, it is abso-
lutely impossible for us TO examine
projects and couple the proper reporst
We have no man to make the proper
inspections"
$50 long as the Federal aid
amounted to only $4,000 a year,
our small force could handle it rea-
sonably well, but the asst Congress
raised this by S990,8U0 year and
we. are swamped.sa We have succeed
ed in getting through project agree
ments on SIT 200 of the 1917 funds
but there are scores of worthy Jro
jects awaiting our attention"
Federal aid funds remain avail
able only two years After that time
the money goes back into the gener-
al fund, and is distributed among
states that make proper prGp'isions
for its handling"
''Unless the next Legislature makes
some provisions for an increase m the
State Highway Department, the State
will lose the greater part of its Fed
eral aid. There is no way to save
it except through the providing of
necessary facilities and employees
10 meet the Government require
ments.
Another tremendous task that
has been placed upon the DEPARTMENT
is the turning over by the Govern
ment of great quantities of road
building machinery, ranging from
picks and shovels to the most expen-
sIve new trucks.
I'VE are accepting our full share
of this material, but we have no
means of distributing it efficiently.
The first lot of trucks recently ar
rived in Atlanta, and we ordered
them shipped to central distributing
POINTS in the State, hoping to have
Boards of Supervisors pay the freigh: |
on them, as we have no means OF car
ing for them otherwise.
These trucks and other materials
should be looked after from time to
time, after they are placed III the !
hands of the county officials and
they could be used for much longer
periods under the proper supervision.
We have a great deal more of this
material coming. and there are no
means provided for handling it under
1A'r present budget.
Government projects now under
way in the State are not being Civ
en- the proper careful inspection that
they should have. and Federal engin
GERS sent into the State to supervise
our work, are helping us out by max
ing reports which we would otherwise
miss altogether.
The interest in road building is at
it's height in Mississippi. Counties
are voting bonds by the millions, and
he Federal Government is ready to
end its help to all worthy projects.
# we are to have a modern system
If State Highways, we must have an
efficient State Highway Department,
financed. :.
/ feel sure that if the people OF
he State realized the work that has
,een thrown upon the two engineelD
n the Department in the State since
he armistice was signed and since
Congress increased the Federal aid
appropriation so materially. there
would be no trouble in getting the
proposed increase through the Legis-
ature.
It is like putting up one dollar to
ret $1O0 when we make the High
way Department capable of putting
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