The Washington herald., 1920-12-17
View Of
. Visitors in
Capital
Interviews with Guests
From ALI Parts Of
The United States.

There is urgent need of immediate
legislation looking toward the con-
tinuance of the present program Of
Federal aid for State highways. w.
s. Keller, Of Montgomery, Ala, said
at the Raleigh Hotel yesterday. i
Mr.. Keller. who is State highway
engineer for Alabama, has just been
elected president of the American
Association of State Highway ON
cials, which concluded its sixth
annual convention at the Washing
| ton Hotel yesterday. Mr.. Keller Is
also brother of the famous Helen
Keller.
TT is imperative that Congress
make an appropriation to continue
this work at the short session." Mr..
Keller std. "The present appro-
priation OF s2z5, ,0O0, 900, made in 1916
| for a five-year period. will be ex-
hausted this year"
| State appropriations for highway
building and maintenance are based
upon the ralsappropriation. Mr..
Keller pointed out, since the ma
jority of States match the Federal
appropriation with proportionate
sums. Many State legislatures are
now on the eve of their biennial
| sessions, and IL legislation Is de-
ferred until after the short session
of Congress, the State bodies will
not take action for two years.
CONGRESS MUST ACT
TO AVOID SETBACK.
| Another strong reason for imme-
diate action, Mr.. Keller said, was the
necessity for continuing the present
program. "If We permit our pro-
! gram to lapse for several years.
Mr.. Keller stated. 'it will virtually
mean starting all over again. We
now have a strong organization In
practically every State. More thar
thirty State legislatures will holc
sessions in January and February
and il Congress does not make a.
appropriation at the short session
the State legislatures will not maxi
appropriations at the coming ses
sion.
1T will be an actual calamity t.
a great number of States if Fedora
; aid is not continued" said Mr.. Kel
Ter. The aid already given ha
been a great incentive to road build
|
ment by the States. The origina
, bill, passed in 1916. required par
! ticipation by the States. Each Stat
was required to have a State high
way department through which tn
, Federal government could function
At that time eleven States wer
without highway departments. bu
since that time all of the State
,, have created departments to over
see the construction of State high
: | ways"
Mr.. Keller declares that in hi
opinion the State highway commits
. sioners and State highway engineer
a | who have been here represent tn
sentiment of the people of thei
respective States in road matter
S better than could any other organi
a | zation or set of men. Forty-seve
of the Forty-eight States were req
resented at the convention.
D ALABAMA SPENDS
HEAVILY FOR ROADS.
Alabama is planning extensiv
Improvement of all roads in tina
State" Mr.. Keller said. The cit
t zens of my State have just vote
s25,000,000 in bonds to be used a
supplementary to national Feders
road aid already given. Alabam
has already spent 100000 of he
D Federal allotment for this year.
: I'VE now have our plans perfecte
n in all the States. Indeed, the pre-.
ent program for State highwa
building throughout the Unite
States may well be compared to II
program of our country during II
war. At the time of the signin
of the armistice our organizatio
e was fairly we'll perfected and "
+ were ready to achieve results.
), The same is true of roadbuildir
in the United States today Sin,
e 1916 the various States have be-
n laboriously and painstakingly whiI
ping things into shape so that a
minor details might be co-ordinat,
r in order to bring about co-operati,
:. between the States and the FEEDER
IL government and the several Stat
)c | with one another"
=, Mr.. Keller is strongly in fay
of the creation of a separate d
partment of public works to tai
6. over all matters relating to rive
and harbors, roadbuilding and 9th
engineering work now done by I
IN government The head of this d
n partment should be an engine,
he said.
+. w. G.