The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1922-08-18
GOOD AVERAGE FOR
pTENNEsSEE HIGHWAYS
yarrying Forward the Highway Pro-
gram Is Set Forth.
BY CHAS. S. HAYDEN.

sasss4 Washington, d. c., Aug. There
have been some charges that cause
for complaint exists for delay in car
4 rying forward the highway program
in Tennessee. When the care the Fed
eral government exercises in regard
TO appropriations is taken into con-
sideration and comparison made with
what has taken place in other States,
it can be seen that Tennessee has as
good an average as any of them and
work has progressed as rapidly as
consistent with good judgment.
1t will be recalled that just pre-
vious to the adjournment of the
House recently, congressman Scott
and Clouse introduced resolutions, re-
questing a Congressional investiga-
tion of the Tennessee State Highway
Commission and it's operation of road
const, Lon work in Tennessee.
gpears now that the bureau has
eceived full reports from the govern
ment engineers having supervision
over the Federal aid projects in Ten
nessee. These reports having been
assembled and considered by the bu-
reau are very favorable in behalf of
the Tennessee State Highway Com
mission and will conclusively show
that further investigation is abso
luteIy useless and a waste of time and
expense.
1t conclusively shows that the
State Highway Commission of Ten
nessee has made as much progress in
road construction work as the same
department of any other State in the
union similarly situated and sur
rounded by like conditions. The rer
ports available not only show thai
the above is true but that a great
improvement and further progress is
being made in the application of the
Federal aid plan to Tennessee. 1t
must be remembered that is is neces-
sary to employ a considerable State
organization to cooperate with the
Federal application under the Fed
eral aid law to expedite the construc-
tion of roads under this plan. 1t
takes considerable time to perfect
such an organization and this the
Tennessee Highway Commission has
hI1iJ in Tnnnnccnn On thof
more rapid progress in construction
work is possible.
STRICT PROCEDURE.
1t must also be observed that be-
fore Federal aid is available that the
various counties in the State seeking
aid must comply fully in the mi
nutest detail with the Fedral require
ment under the act before the Fed
eral aid is awarded. This requires
the raising of funds by the various
counties of the State and the State
to match that available through the
Federal government. 1t brings into
action the financial agencies and or
ganizations of the counties and
State which takes considerable time
to finance as we'll as an organization
of engineers to lay out and plan the
projects and submit them to the bu
reau of public roads.
1t is then necessary that they be
and this cannot be done
until the Federal aid engineers have
gone over the project and made q
thorough inspection, and thus it is
seen that this requires considerable
time and consideration and it should
be so when it appears that millions
of dollars are involved in transac-
tions of this character. 1t is utterly
to transact business of
such magnitude in a short period of
time. 1t takes time to assemble ma
chinery and tp get together organiza- h
tions to put through the work. 1t
now appears that Tennessee has such
an organization through and under :
the supervision of the Tennessee
State Highway Commission and will,
therefore, be able to expedite the con-
struction program in Tennessee more
rapidly than ever before.
The reports appearing in the press t
soon after the introduction of the res S
buttons in the Housei indicated that {
there was a difference in the figures /
If the Tennessee State Highway Com f
mission and that of the Bureau of I
Public Roads, Department of Agri- /
culture, concerning the mileage of t
'oads constructed in Tennessee and f
money to be spent on the projects ap- t
proved and those in the process of be- S
ng approved by the Federal govern a
nent Since the report of the Fed t
raj agencies as to the work in Ten f
lessee has been checked up with the p