Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1921-10-07
ROAD BILLS
COMPARED.


ISOLATION of Engineers held at the
Weber club recently, short talk
was given by b. J. Finch, district
engineer of the u. 8. bureau Of pub
lie roads on the features Of the road
legislation now pending in congress.
He said that both the senate and
house had passed bills which were
similar in the general features, but
differed somewhat in phraseology
and in some minor details. A brief
summary Of the major features of
the two bills follows:
Administration.
The original federal aid road act
placed the administration Of the fed
eral funds under the secretary Of
agriculture. The townsend bill as in
troduced in the senate provided for
the administration by a commission
of three members. Amendments in
troduced during the discussion of
the bill, however. eliminated this
feature and placed the control as be-
fore under the department Of agri-
culture.
The Phipps- Dowell bill as passed
by the house re-affirmed the origin
al federal aid road act in also plac-
ing the control Of the work under
the secretary of agriculture. The two
bills are now in harmony on this i'm
portant feature.
Allotment of Funds.
Both senate and house provide the
same method Of apportioning funds
as in the original federal aid act,
which based the allotment on the
three factors of relative area Of pop
ulation and mileage Of rural delivery
and star routes. The new legislation
proposes that no state shall receive
less than one-half of one per cent of
the total sum apportioned.
Proposed System.
Both bills now provide for the ex-
penditure Of all federal aid funds in
each state on a system to be selected
by the state highway department and
approved by the secretary of agricul-
ture. This system is to comprise not
to exceed z per cent Of the total road
mileage of the state Of which 2 per
cent not to exceed three-seventh
shall be on primary or interstate
routes and the remainder on second
airy or inter-county roads. The SEN
ate bill provides that not more than
60 per cent of the federal funds shall
be expended on the primary routes,
while the house bill provides that not
less than 60 per cent shall be ex-
pended on these same routes. This
difference remains to be adjusted by
the conference committees.
Types.
The senate bill provides that al
highways in the primary system
shall have a right of way of ampl,
width and a wearing surface of ade
quate width which shall not be les!
than twenty feet unless in the opin
ion of the secretary Of agriculture /
is rendered impracticable by physi
cal conditions, excessive costs, prob
able traffic requirements or legal OBJ
stacles.. Also that only such shall b.
approved as will adequately meet tn
existing future traffic needs.
! The house bill provides that tn
secretary Of agriculture shall ap
prove only such projects as may b
substantial in character.
Maintenance.
Both bills provide that the cost o
maintenance shall be borne by tn
states If, however, any state fail
to maintain its federal aid roads i
is provided by both bills that the sec
rotary Of agriculture shall have pow
err to have such project put il
proper condition and charge the cos
Of such work to the federal fund
allotted to such state. Provision il
made for the state to later repay thi
cost which in the case of the senat'
bill would be put to the credit Of thu
federal aid fund for that state. TIL
house bill provides that this REIN
bursement shall be to the credit o
miscellaneous receipts of the treas
ury 80 that it would not be availabl
for future work.
Appropriation.
No appropriation is made by tn
house bill. The senate bill make
twenty-five million dollars availabl
Immediately and fifty million dollar
available in six months after tn
passage of the act. This seventy-fiv
million dollars is to be expended Of
federal aid roads.
The senate bill also appropriate
five million dollars available thi
year and ten million dollars avail
, able July 1, 1922. for construction o
l national forest roads. Fifty per cen
but not to exceed three million dol