Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-03-29
CREATION Of A
HIGHWAY BOARD
SEEMS PROBABLE
Congress Is Expected to
Pass Measure Providing.
for a Commission to Take
Charge of All Road Work.
icy MORNING JOURNAL sptc,.L LEASED wrsv,

icy MORNING JOURNAL SPECIAL LEASED wisg1
Washington, March 2S.-Now
that the peace treaty is out of the
cerned, congress is expected to rap
idly dispose of other measures
which have been held in check
since last May.
One of these measures is the ma
tional highway act, which provides
for the creation of a federal high
way commission to take over from
the department of agriculture, the
highway work now being conduct
ed as a branch of that department
The creation of a new department
TO administer the highway affairs
of the United States, is necessary. it
is claimed because of the growing
demand for increased transporta-
ton facilities. The movement to
satisfy this demand, as expressed by
the proposed national highway act
has been endorsed widely by civic
and commercial organizations
throughout the country.
AS congress approaches definite
action upon the measure now in the
hands of the senate committee on
postoffices and post roads, a few
highway officials and others in
some states are expressing opposi-
tion on the ground that the act
proposes to take over all highway
work as a federal function, and
that federal aid is now operating
viii be jeopardized. 1t is reported
that in some instances efforts are
being made to create the impress
sion that even state highway de-
partments will be eliminated.
TO combat these unfounded state
ments, Senator Townsend. author
of the proposed measure. and chair
man of the senate committee on
post offices and post roads calls
public attention to the ract that the
national highway act does not pro-
pose to supersede the federal aid
plan, but on the other hand it
seeks to extend that plan and go
even further in helping states work
out their highway problems nv
taking over as a federal burden the
construction and maintenance of
such routes in each state as may be
designated as links in a national
system. The percentage of a ma
tional system within each state will
approximate, it is estimated, about
per cent of the state mileage, so
that the claim that the work of
state highway departments will be
encroached' upon and interfered
ga1I
During the period of threat
ened railway strike recently, an Of
ficer of prominent state chamber
OF commerce wrote the federal
highway council as follows: There
are certain highways which must
be national in their character. The
need of a network of. national
highways may be forced upon us
by the imminence of a nationwide
railroad strike. In England the
situation was saved by the use of
motor cars. We could not save the
situation in this country in like
manner at certain seasons of the
wear because of the lack of high
ways. If, however, there was such
a network of highways extending
between the principal cities, every
motor vehicle in the country could |
be requisitioned in such a crisis and |
the people fed and kept warm"
This suggestion comes from a !
state where millions of dollars have !,
already been spent in highway de-
Velopment, but where the necessity !
is also seen for the establishment
of a national system that will tie !
the states together and furnish the |
backbone for a definite system of
national, state and county high !
ways. To achieve this result, back !
ers of comprehensive highway work
are insistent in their position that
ii will be necessary to take the bu-
reau of public roads out of a de-
partment where 1t is one of sixteen
bureaus, and owing to the impor-
tance and responsibility of this bu-
teau in spending millions of dollars,
place it in separate body whose
sole duty will be the full develop
ment of the public highway as one
of the nations greatest assets.
The first dry goods commission