The Washington herald., 1921-05-08

general tax. We maintain that the
fundamental equity of this plan has
not changed.
1T has taken a century since the
invention of the steamship and loco
motive to develop a type of trans
portation worthy to supplement
them. We are the representatives
OF this new transportation. To the
end it may serve the public to the
ultimate of its potentialities we re-
spectfully ask that we may be con-
suited, and be permitted TO advise
when legislation in respect to mo-
tor vehicles is contemplated.
Road Expenditure.
More than $1,000. 900. 600 are now
available for road construction.
Fifty-nine per cent of the national
public works budget is devoted to
highways. No single domestic ac-
tivity of the United States govern
ment and it's civil subdivisions pred
iratrs such large Expenditures. OBJ
viouSly the direction of such an eff
fort should not be left as a sub
ordinate detail in a department all
Of whose bureaus combined eXpend
hut one third as much money an
uUalIy as does the bureau of public
Roads.
problem is not one of engineering
but OF economics. The first ques-
tiDn is th.. determination OF the
economic reason for its location.
Engineering iS the detail Of con-
struction. and maintenance. After
that remains the paramount ques-
ton Of transport over the highways
For this reason road construction
should he lodged under the direction
Of Il body which has Il broader vision
than that Of construction alone. For
this reason. too. the Judgement OF
public works would hr T. SubOrdi-
nate the end to the means.
Highways National Concern.
Highways were i local. perhaps
an agricultural problem until the
day when the motor vehicle became
the I.redrminant element in high
way transport. With their advent
the radius of highway travel was
-Ntend"d to such an extent as To
m" H. the problem State and coun-
try-wide in application with the re-
suit that inteTCity traffic and COM
mcrCial usage became as much OF
factor as farp roads now used
for interstate commerce.
1T has been pointed out that
highways call for economies. for
engineering. for transport. gnd that
they affect commerce as well as agA
riculture. One can go further and
say that highways are a military
question. pOstoffice problem, a
matter of direct Importance to the
Department of the Interior. Com
pare total expenditures in the Unit
ed States for highways with the
expenditure in any other direction
and they will be found to be as
large. If not larger. while affecting
the efficiency of each directly or
otherwise. For these reasons il
appears that they should be lodged
in a separate commission so con-
stituted as to take all of these fac
tors into consideration.
Commission Form.
No one would expect to see the
railroad question placed as a bu-
reau under any OF the present de-
partmentS. Ine only QlUeTenCe De-
tween railroad and highway from
a standpoint of administration is
that centralized control makes pos
sible a balancing OF economic fac
tcrS in railroad location. construc-
tiOn and use. This is impossible in
highway questions. hence the need
of bringing about as close a volun-
tary coordination as possible. This
would be tremendously facilitated II
the government would take the lead
by including all phases of the ques-
tion under one administrative body.
Under the commission form. one
man goes out Of office each year,
each having a flve-year term. In
this manner n continuity of policy
is assured. where under department
tai control there is no assurance
that policies will not change with
each administration. Since the high
way question is an economic rather
than n political problem. continuity
of policy is absolutely essential.
IF 1t is logical to plead for a
highway commission In the State,
IS II not logical that the national
government should follow the same
rolicy" Most Of the States adopted
the commission plan at the sug-
gestion OF the government when
State highway departments were
created"