The north Mississippi herald. (Water Valley, Yalobusha Co., Miss.) 1888-1929, 1920-04-02
MR.. TARvER'S ARTICLE.

MR.. TARVER'S ARTICLE.
The following letters will be of in
terest to the people of Road Distric
Number Three and to the County a
large, and viii throw light on the
matter of obtaining Government Ait
for the building of tn Jeff Davis
Highway through our Ccunty. The
letters follow:
U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE,
Bureau Of Public Roads.
Jackson, Miss, November10, 1919
Mr.. Eugene Tarver.
Water Valley, Miss.
Dear SIR
In reply to your letter
of November 1st, l have talked to
Mr.. Dieter regarding a Federal Aid
allotment on the Jeff Davis Highway,
and he states that there is possibly an
allotment for the road but as we do
not know definitely what section of
the road you refer to, he is unable to
state definitely the amount
More Federal aid funds were avail
able last spring and if your Commits
sioners had talk with him previous
to that time, there is no doubt that
there are funds available at the pres
ent time. The procedure TO follow in
getting this Federal aid is as follows
(1) The District Road Commits
sioners shsuld have conference with
the State Highway Commission, or
HIN Nm INV wsieskers ye IN n ~ { an ailcl-
ment available for yosB particular
section of the road. If the State
Highway Commission decide not to
make this allotment, there is no way
of getting Federal aid on your road,
as auth rity to make these allotments
rest with the State Highway Commits
sion.
(2) If the State Highway Com
mission grants you an allotment
which will be in the form Of promise
the next step is to secure the services
of Civil Engineer and send him
down to jackson in order to find out
the procedure necessary in getting up
q project statement and sketch map.
This requires very little work and can
be completed in about week. This
engineer, when he has the sketch map
complete, WI advise this Office or the
office of the State Highway Depart
ment and we will make wha is known
as q preliminary inspection of the
road. On this inspection, we will
consult with the District Commission
ers and other interested parties and
decide upon the type and width OF
read to be built, and upon the best
location for the road. We will also
submit a preliminary estimate of the
cost of the project, in order to de-
termine whether or not the district
funds, together with the Federal Aid
funds promised, will be sufficient to
build the road You will then sign a
regular formal application to the
Federal Government for your Aid
funds. In this application which is
a-form furnished by tn State Highway
Department, you set aside and agree
to make available for use on the road
a certain sum of money, which to-
gether with the Federal Aid funds re-
ouested are estimated to be sufficient
to build the road. The project is
then submitted to the Bureau Ct Pub
lie Roads for approval, but / WI be
able to tell you, without doubt, be-
fore the statement leaves this ONCE,
whether or not it will be~approved.
(3) When the project statement is
recommended by this Office for appro~
", the next step necessary is to Sc
cure the services of a competent En-
gineer, approved by the State High
way Department, to get up the plans
After he has completed his plans we
make another field inspection OF these
plans, going over them in detaii;
When these plans are fully completed
and checked in this Office, new and
more accurate estimate is prepared
and submitted with the plans for a.p-
proval. The work is then ready to be
advertised
(4) If suitable bids are received
the work is let and the contract is
signed by the District Commlnsss oners
and approved by the Board OF super
visors. A new agreement is tnen
made between the State Highway De-
partment, acting for the Commission
and the Department of Public Roads
The District pays the contractor
monthly the entire amount due him.
The State Highway Department, at
the end of each month, will SEND
bill to the Bureau Of Public Roads Tor
a proportional part of the cost OF the
project, depending upon the amount
Of Federal Aid funds allotted to the
project
Please understand from the begin
ming that no funds are turned over
to the District until the work called
fo~ has hoen eompleted, The con-