Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-08-05


approximately s152.e0o.o0o of Federal
aid, or roughly three-fifths of the
total Federal aid funds that are
> available. We mad under construct
j ion one-third Of the program agreed
upon; one-third of three fifths is
about one fifth of the agreed prog
ram. In other words. We are now at
. tempting TO carry out one-fifth Of
the program which Congress had
provided for in cooperation with the
i states Mr.. Chairman, / am speaking
. in these figures of the Federal and
state programs and not OF The prog
rams that have been undertaken hS
counties or by the cities and towns,
or by any other municipal sub-divis-
/ ion I would like 10 emphasize the
point that We have retrenched. We
have not been letting new contracts
We took the position in April OF this
year that we should not let more
contracts until We had cleaned up
! those we had already started.
! Mr.. Chairman, in considering
these matters I think We may sum-
Marie our thought at this iuncture
in this form:
First: That we realize the crit.
movement of coal, particularly to the
! New England States and the lake
ports.
! Second; We agree to the princi-
pie that additional contracts for
road work requiring rail transporta-
ton of materials and in considerable
quantities, should not be awarded
for immediate construction except in
those speclflc cases where the COM
pletion of certain links are essential
TO completion OF routes. The Com
! mission should recognize that the
| policy of the state highway COM
! mission for the past several months
has been TO avoid the inauguration
effort upon the completion of con-
| tracts already under way, and the
maintenance of important roads
! May l interject here that it may be
! important TO complete a few miles OF
foad winch Is part of a consider
! able stretch of road, because our
/ detours are planned for fair weather.
+ They are not winter roads. They are
,
lily and without building them prac-
ucally as good as the main lines
they Will not stand that traffic un-
der the winter conditions Many
miles of our highways are out of
commission because Of the necessity
Of few miles Of detour.
Third: We recognize as of first
Importance the movement of mater
lals for the maintenance of roads al
! READY constructed in order to keep
those roads in service. and ASST
that the lack OF maintenance ma.
terials will result in the destruction
OF many miles of highway The pro-
ouction of highways under present
economic handicaps. particularly lack
vi ran transportation, will be SLOW.
anu II is essential that every milo
OF highway already improved should
De maintained in serviceabIe condi
ton by proper maintenance. Even
uhoer war conditions the movement
oi maintenance materials was recog-
nlzed as an essential TRANSPORTATION
problem. and We wish to inpress
on this Commission the very serious
aspect of the situation which will
exist unless maintenance materials
art moved"
The following statement was made
d. the same time by the secretary of
me Department of Highways OF the
State of New York:
BESIDES our maintenance work We
nave held over from last wear. with
the exception of about 20 contra cts
"hlch were let between January and
April ! OF this year. some l53 con-
tracts, representing a contract mile.
age of 800 miles and an uncomnle,ed
mileage OF 800 miles. This uncom
pieleo part OF the work represents
ABOUT Slo.OO0OO0 worth of work.
" these 1o3 contracts this week
thefe are only about a half of a
dozen Jobs that have enough mate.
rial on hand to proceed in a normal
way. We are facing in New York
state not only complete shutdown
or our construction work which T
SAID was started last wear and =
small portion this year. but also our
maintenance work which is vital 70
the transportation in our State w.
day"
From the state of Illinois Com.
missioner Bradt offered the follow
ing:
was present at the conference
with the Secretary of Agriculture TO
which Mr.. Mcdonald referred. Bv
reason OF that request largely. the
state OF Illinois entered into this
matter OF building roads. the build.
ing or roads under Federal direction.
and We combined Federal with state
money. We awarded these contracts
IN 1917. | want TO say that of the
7oV miles uncompleted, $50 are con-
tracts which were awarded in 1919
and but 80 miles ONLY durinp tbis
year. We had contemplated pro-
gram from a bond issue voted in
1918 of about 1000 miles, but We
abandoned the program under exist
ing conditions. We said: I'VE will
stop building roads. stop on this
Federal highway system, and. that is
what we have done. and that is what
: we propose to do until conditions
have changed.
Ihere are about 90 contractors
working on that 400 miles of uncom-
pleted road. They have from IS 20
50 paving machines there, part Of
them in operation and part of them
idle
I In view of the conditions ex,s,;