The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-06-28
ROUNTREE REPLIES. ID SENATOR HEFLIN.
 ON FEDERAL AID.
States Communication of Senator Is Misleading, and Quotes From Good Roads
 Bills Now Pending

J. A. Rountree, director general of the United States Good Roads association, has issued the follow ing statement in reply to Senator J. Thomas Heflin, who is opposing the Townsend bill, and is advocat- ing in its stead the Dowell bill:
 Senator Heflins communication in The Birmingham Age Herald of June 27, with deference to the fed eral aid legislation new pending in Congress ignored the most salient features of the new Legislation and Is misleading in many ways.
 The senator conveys the impress sion that the Dowell bill Is a con tinuation of the Bankhead plan as it now stands. This is not the case. The Doweil bill IS not replica of the Bankhead bill, neither does it re-en- act the present provisions. The Dowell bill has taken certain fea- lures of the Bankhead plan, but the same is also true of the Townsend bill
 "'rhe senator would have 1t be- lieved that the Dowell bill provides for an unrestricted distribution of federal aid whereas the bill Is more restrictive than the Townsend bill. | for it places definite limitation on the benefits that may be derived l from federal aid, since it provides that only ' per cent of the high- ways of each state may receive led edra aid, and that preference shall be given to per cent. The Town send bill leaves this question to the | l.la. s.,g.. .,rt tl,., Ntut-f
 Y Absolute Dominance 1 "The senator would have 1t be- lieVed that enactment of tine Towns end bill menas the absolute domin- ance of the state highway depart ! ment by the federal commission, 1 whereas the Townsend bill specif- cally provides that the federal com | mission shall in cooperation with the several highway commissions es- tablshed the highway systems. Final l decisions in such matters now rest 1 with one man. the chief of the bureau iof public roads, whereas under the Townsend bill 1t will rest with three | The senator is quoted as saying ! that the Townsend bill prevents ted- | eral aid to intercounty and lnter- state roads. and that the people or the state will be taxed to raise half | | tional highway through some sections of the state just where a road com l mission in Washington says 1t shall be located.
 This is misrepresentation The | bill provides specifically for the con centration of federal aid first upon | intercounty highways of interstate | importance. The county to county i road will be built, and the farm to the market road will be built, and not just planned as is now the case
 Indorsed Neither Bill
 "The senator exhibited a set of res olutions which were adopted by the United States Good Roads association at it's ninth annual meeting at Greensboro, N. C., in April. These res olutfons did not lndorse the IoWh- send bill. but neither did they in- dorse the Dowell bill, as the senator makes believe.
 These resolutions did indorse the continuation of federal aid, and or cooperative road building. These two important matters are speciti- ca1lv cared for in the Townsend bill' which provides for that cooperation of federal and state agencies, ana which provides for each state the same quota that is provided for by the Bankhead bill,
 In advocating change Tn tne present administration of federal aic | do so in the belief that 1t would have the approval of the late Sena- : tor Bankhead. were he alive. He told me that the experience of the pas, several years had made it evident that certain changes would be nec- essary and essential. letter from Senator Bankhead is on file in Wash ington approving the system oi highways that is now being adVo- cated."