Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1921-11-14
TWO MILLIONS
IN FEDERAL AID
President Harding Signs Bill
Making big Sum Avail
able in Road
Work.
TWO MILLION TO IOWA
Quarter of a Million men
Given Work on Road
Projects. \

Seventy-five million dollars become
available as federal aid for road con
struction in the various states. tn
money to be spent under the super
vision of the bureau of public roads
department of agriculture, under TIN
federal highway act, signed the Othel
day by the president. In addition
$15,0OO,OOO is appropriated for nationa
forest roads. The $75,OOO,OOO repre-
sents the federal governments appro
priatiOn to the work of building high
ways in the various states and must be
matched. dollar for dollar, by funds
from the state treasures. except in
states where more than ) per cent OF
the area is unappropriated public land.
Big Sum to Iowa.
The $75,OOO,OO0 appropriated is for
the fiscal year ending June 80, 1922,
and $25,OOO,OOO of the sum is available
Immediately, the balance becoming
available OIL January ], 1922. The allOt-
ment to Iowa is $2,1O2, S72.74.
The federal highway act in general
way resembles the federal aid act OF
1916, but contains several new fea-
lures. Administration Of the act by
the secretary of agriculture, and under
him the bureau of public roads, re-
mains unchanged.
What the new appropriation will
mean to the country can be. judged by
the use to which the $275OOO,OO previ-
ously appropriated has been put, ac-
cording to Officials of the United States
department of agriculture. Practically
$500, 100000 of that money has been put
to work in projects which are either
entirely completed or now under con-
struction. The exact amount was $780,
S23,427 on Oct. 81. To match this
amount the states have appropriated
S2G5, $4,000 making a total OF $780,
35o,517. ~ ''""',
Mileage Would Encircle the Earth.
The roads to be paid for by this
country, if placed end to end, would
encircle the earth and extend from
New York to San Francisco on the
second lap, the total mileage OF the
roads under construction and completed
being reported by the bureau of public
roads as $4,000 miles on Oct. 81. OF
this mileage 9,555 miles is in projects
which are entirely completed and the
contractors discharged. The balance
of 17.445 miles is in projects which
are still under construction, but which
were SO per cent complete on Oct. 81.
In these projects there is, therefore,
the equivalent of 1900 miles of COM
pleted road, so that the completed road
to date totals over $1,000 miles.
The average cost per mile of the
roads built with federal aid has been
between $4,000 and $4,000. More
than half the money has been spent
for roads with the highest types of
surface. such as concrete, brick, and
bituminOus concrete, but a very large
mileage of roads Of the cheaper type.
such as gravel and sand-clay. has been
built where such types would with
stand the wear of the traffic
Prior to five years ago the federal
government took no active part in the
road construction of the country. To-
day about one-half of all the roads tina
are being built are being aided by the
government financially, and the CON
struction is subject to the inspection
and approval of federal engineers.
1t is estimated by engineers that the
federal aid roads under construction
on Oct. 81 were giving employment to
about 100000 men, either directly on
the actual road construction or in
directly in the production and transpor-
tation of the materials which enter into
the construction.
The new act, just signed, will, it is
stated, keep these men at work, so far
as weather conditions will permit. and
thereby prevent the unemployment sit
uatiOn from becoming more serious.
Without the new appropriations many |
of the states would soon have been
forced to curtail their work for lack |
of funds.