, 1920-08-26
Federal Aid on Highways.
Continued from First Page,

Continued from First Page)
suggestion of favoritism-so adequate
are the provisions for Il just apportion.
ment.
One of the early and most far-reach-
ing results directly attributable to the
adoption of the Federal-aid program
was the creation of adequate state high
way departments in II states which pre-
Niously had either no state department,
or departments insufficiently equipped.
Within year after the passage of
the Federal-aid road act more construc-
tive state highway legislation was plnc-
ed upon the statute books han had ever
been enacted i'll Il similar period in the
history of the country.
The inSistence of the Government up
on the construction of Federal-aid roads
under the supervision of engineers of
the state departments has resulted in
placing II much larger proportion of
road work under skilled direction. In
1915. the year before the F~ederal-aid
act was passed. only 30 per cent of the
money for roads and bridges built in
the United States was expended under
the supervision of state highway de-
partments. This year these depart
ments will exercise control over fully
50 percent of the large sums that will
be spent for road building.
The Federal Governments present
program of highway improvement is the
result of w acts: The F~ederal-aid
road act, signed by the President July
II. 1916. and provisions in the Post
Office appropriation bill for 1920. sign
ed February 2S. 1919, containing an
amendment TO the original Federal-aid
road act. The original appropriation
of ST5. 100000 was made available for
rural post roads in installments at the
rate of S5.OO0.0O0 for the fiscal year
ending June 30. 1O17: S1O.OOO.O0O for
the fiscal year 1918; $15.0O0.O 900 for the
year 1919; S2O.O00.OO0 for the wear
1920: and SD. 100000 for the fiscal
year ending June. 1921. Ten million
dollars for forest roads vas made avail
able at the rate of 81. 100000 IL year
after July l. 1916. The apportionment
of the post-road appropriations of the
states. after deducting the administra-
tive fund. which must not exceed 3
per cent. is based upon area. popula-
tiou. and mileage of rural delivery and
star routes in each state. Each of these
factors has Il weight of one-third.
Three months after the signing of the
armistice the Post-Office appropriation
bill for 1920 became Il law. One of the
important amendments which it con
tanned provided that the term rural
post roads, as used in the earlier act,
was to be construed to mean amy pub
lie road n portion of which is now. used
or can he used or forms connecting link
not to exceed ten miles in length of
any road or roads now or hereafter
used in the transportation of the United
States mails" The law also changed "A
limitation to the effect that the Govern
ment expenditure could not be i'm ex-
cess of $4,000 per mile Exclusive of
DIlugtS VI llltGt iIldll ~ lttt tlpdT SDil J
by raising the maximum to 100000 per
mile. This Post-Oaice appropriation
, bill carried an additional a%ppropria-
ton of S200.0O0 900 for the construc-
600 additional for the construction and
maintenance of roads and trails in the
national forests.
All of these Federal funds may be
expended only for construction and
must not exceed 30 per cent of the val
ne of the roads. In other words. the
states. either directly or through county
or other government units. are required
to bear something more than half of the
total cost of their road improvement.
Under the law the Secretary of Agri-
culture is charged with the administra-
ton of the Federal-aid act. He has
assigned the details of administration
to the Chief of the Bureau of Public
Roads. II branch of the department
which is considered to be i'm closer touch
with the highway situation and require
ments of the country as n whole than
any other agency in the United States.
TIE Federal aid act requires hat ali
being the case of charles Sterreit ana
Harry Irwin VS.. j. Il. Kozina. former
ly principal of the schools ut Sara
toga. No defense was offered and
Judgment was rendered accordingly.
Mr.. and Mrs. Noah Wagner and Mr..
and Mrs. Jesse Miller and two chill
dren have been visiting relatives and