New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1921-12-02
VOTE EIGHTY
MILLIONS FOR
GOOD ROADS
WILL BE EXPENDED BY DE
PARTMENT OF AGRICUL
TURE IN CONJUNCTION
WITH THE STATE HIGH
WAY COMMISSION

Washington, November 30-What
the Republican Congress is doing for
the building OF good roads is explain
ed by Representative Robsion, OF
Kentucky, in charge of the confer
ence report OF the two houses on a
measure providing for them, He
says:
"The House passed bill authoriz-
ing Sl00OO0,000 for roads for the pre-
sent fiscal year. The amendment Of
fered in the Senate to our House bill
provides an appropriation OF S5,OOO,-
0O0 for the States and S5,0O0O00 to
aid the roads and trails in the ma
tional forests This appropriation is
for the remainder of the present fis-
cal year OF this $80,0000O0, $4,000
900 is available upon the passage of
this bill and the other S50,00000O is
available January |, 1922.
"The bill provides that this law
shall be administered by the Dep
artment OF Agriculture through its
( Bureau OF Public Roads. and not a
commission: that the initiative in loc-
ating roads to receive Federal aid shall
remain in the States, subject to the
approval OF the Secretary OF Agric-
uture that the State shall be the
unit in dealing with the Federal Gov
ernment in matching Federal aid ;
that the State shall maintain and
keep in repair the roads constructed
with Federal aid This bill provides
for a system of interstate and inter
county roads If the provisions of
the bill are carried out, when the Sys-
tenn is completed it will bring good
road-a good pike road-within ?
miles of at least IS per cent of the
people OF the United States that is,
IS per cent of the people of the Un-
miles from a good pike road. and. of
course. many OF them will be on a
good pike road This will bring a
good pike road to every county seat
/ in America.
president Harding, in his message
| TO Congress, stated that Federal aid
for good roads had perhaps become
the settled policy of the people of
/ the United States, never o'5e- aband-
oned, but he insisted that the FEEDER
al aid road law should be so amend
/ ed or changed as to provide a con-
nected system of highways in this
country. This bill provides for con-
nected system of interstate and inter-
county highways. The President also
urged that provision in the law should
1 be made to insure the maintenance
and upkeep of these roads when once
constructed. This bill provides that
| the State must keep these roads i'll
good repair at all times throughout
the year when once built with Fed
era aid. II means that when we
once get a good road we will always
have a good road.
This bill as embodied in the con-
ference report has the approval OF
the Federal. road department, the
road departments OF practically ev-
cry State in the Union, the Ameri-
can Federation of Farm Bureaus, 9TH
err farm organizations, and thousands
OF commercial bodies and automobile
associations. The unemployment con-
ference appointed by President Hard
ing has been urging the passage OF
this bill No measure before Con-
gress has met with more hearty ap-
proval and Endorsement from the Am
erican people. 1t will put on foot
road construction and other business
operations that will furnish employ
ment to something like one-half mil
lion OF men, and there will be spent
for road construction, perhaps, quar-
ter of a billion dollars before June
80. 1922 This bill brings relief in a
substantial way to those Western
States having large areas OF unap-
propriated public land. II provides
five millions this year and ten mill
lions for the next year TO build roads
and trails through our national for
est reservations in all of the States
having such reservations and in Al
aska and Porto Rico. The Govern
ment owns more than l50OO0OO acres
Of we'll -tinlhered land