The Mena weekly star., 1919-01-30
MILLIONS FOR new
ROADS ARE ASKED
Postoffice Bill Carries s225, ,OOO. 900, to
BE Divided Among States--Pur-
pose Is to Furnish Jobs for the
Discharged Soldiers.

Washington, Jan. 26.-Many mil
lions of dollars from the federal
treasury will be available for immedi-
ate road building under rider to
the Postofiice Appropriation Bill that
has been agreed to by the Senate pos
tai committee.
Road Building on Huge Scale.
The rider" designed to furnish
employment during the difficult period
of reconstruction, provides that in
addition to the present government
appropriations to meet state and
local appropriations for road building,
there shall be spent during the next
thirty months the enormous sum of
225 million dollars. 1t is provided
that 80 million dollars of this shall be
available up to June 80 this year, the
end Of the fiscal year, in the hopes
of getting states and localities busy
at once on road building projects and
aiding the employment situation that
much. 1t is provided that rs million
dollars annually shall be appropriated
for the next two years from June 30
on. This sum, together with the large
regular appropriations the government
has already made under the Federal
Aid" Act, it is believed will inaugu-
rate road building thruout the entire
country, on scale unprecedented in
the Nations history. The 225 mill
lion dollars is not to be given to the
states outright. 1t is to be appor-
toned among the various states on
exactly the same terms as provided
in the Federal Aid Act and the states
or local subdivisions thereof must
meet the government money with like
amount. However, instead of each
state having only a limited amount
of government money available to
meet local appropriations, the gov
ernment will stand ready to put up
many millions. In fact, there win be
enough government funds to meet
statewide projects, instead of local
ones.
Reference to Discharged Soldiers.
The "rider' provides that states
shall agree to give discharged SOL
diers and sailors preference in en-
ployment in the road projects UNDER
taken out of the appropriations. II
also instructs the War Department to
apportion among the states, under the
direction of the national highway de-
partment, all such road building ma
chinery or other machinery that could
be used in road building that the ar
my no longer needs. To meet the in
creased costs os road building it is
provided that the government may
contribute as much as $4,000 per
mile to the cost of any road. The
previous limit was $4,000.
The "rider," being attached to the
regular Postoffice Appropriation Bill,
and being reported from the commit
tee favorably, is certain of being
acted upon shortly by the Senate one
way or the other It's hackers feel
confident that it will pass. The
House road committee has met infor-
mally in anticipation of the "rider"
being sent to that body for action and
indorsed the general principle in
volved without committing itself to
details of the plan. AS the Appropri-
alton Bill must be passed before adj
journment March 4, quick action one
way or the other on the huge road
building project may be expected.
This is regarded as imperative, as
nearly all the state legislatures are
in session and they can take steps to
meet the large government road sub
sidy.