Palatka daily news. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1919-1994, 1921-12-07
s PORTION
FEDERAL AID ROADS
NEARLY A MILLION
tBy Associated Press)

Washington, Dec. 5-Seventy five
million dollars became available as
federal aid for road construction in
the various states under the Federal
Highway Act, recently signed by
President Harding. In addition,
$15,O0O,OOO was appropriated for ma
tional forest roads. The $75,O00,OO0
represents the Federal Governments
appropriation to the work of build
ing highways in the various states
and must be matched, dollar for dol
lar, by funds from the state treasu-
ries, except in state where more than
5 per cent of the area is unappro-
priated public land.
The $75,OO0,OO0 appropriated is for
the fiscal year ending June 80, 1929,
and $25,000,000 of the sum is avail
able Immediately, the balance be-
coming available on January l., 1929.
Florida's allotment is $886,825.O0.
Of the appropriation of 100000
for the improvement of national for
est roads $5,OO0,0OO was made avail
able for the fiscal year ending June
80, 1922, and $1O,OOO,OOO for the fol-
lowing fiscal year.
The federal highway act in a gen.
eral way resembles the federal aid
act of 1916, but contains several new
features. Administration of the act
by the secretary of agriculture, and
under him the bureau of public roads
remains unchanged.
Apportionment of the fund to the
states is almost the same as in the
previous act, the fund being divided
into three parts, one part apportion-
ed according to population, one &C
cording to area, and the third ac-
cording to mileage of rural and star
mail routes. A new feature is the
stipulation that no state shall re-
ceive less than one-half of one per
cent of the total fund which amounts
to- $365,625. This stipulation will
increase the amount received by
four of the smaller states, Delaware,
New Hampshire, Rhode Island and
Vermont.
Considerable change, however, is
made by the act in the manner in
which state may use its allotment.
Each state must select connected
road system not exceeding seven
per cent of its road mileage for i'm
provement with federal aid. This
system will be divided into two class
es, one of which will be known as
interstate highways and the other as
intercounty highways. The inter-
state highways must not exceed
three seventies of the system select
ed; on them not more than go per
cent of the states allotment can be
spent without the joint approval of
the secretary of agriculture and the
state highway department. The in
tercounty highways, which consist of
the remainder of the system selected
will receive the remainder of the
states allotment.
Except in states where more than
5 per cent of the area is unappro-
priated public land, the amount of
federal aid received on any project
must not exceed so per ctnt of the
estimate cost. In states where more
than 5 per cent of the area is unap-
public land the so per
cent allotment is increased by an
amount equal to one-half the per-
centage of unappropriated public
land in the state. Before any funds
can be paid to state, the state
must appropriate money, upder the
direct control of the state highway
to match the federal al
Iotment, and for the maintenance of
federal aid highways.
What the new appropriation will
mean to the country can be judged
by the use to which the $275,OoO,OOO
previously appropriated has been put
according to officials of the United
States Department of Agriculture.
Practically $2OO,OOO,OOO of that mon
~ has been put to work in projects
which are either entirely completed
or now under construction To
match this amount the states have