Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-11-02
Tribune's Helena Bureau.)


Helena, Nov. during the present
political campaign the Montana high
way commission has been made the
subject of some criticism of a political
nature and has been assailed from the
platform by several of the political
speakers upon the grounds that it has
not rendered. service in keeping with
the amount of money expended IN the
maintenance of its organization.
For the purpose of ascertaining if
these criticisms have been warranted
a review of the activities of the high
way department has been made which
has resulted in the showing of a vast
amount of beneficial-work at the hands
of the department., both in the carry
ing on of work initiated prior to the
organization of the present highway
commission and in the preparing and
perfecting of a program for present
and future highway improvements of an
incalculable value.
From April 1, 1921, at which time
the present highway commission was
organized under the highway commits
sion law enacted by the last legisla-
ture, up to the present date, the COM
mission has had under it's supervision
the construction of SO federal aid
projects, covering both highways and
bridges, distributed through % coun-
ties Of the state and covering in the
aggregate $50 miles.
Of this work practically one-third
had been started under the former
highway commission. these being car
ried to completion by the present com
mission and the remainder being init
ated and placed under construction by
the new commission.
During the year 1921 there was ex-
pended in Montana upon federal did
projects under the supervision of the
present commission S3,139,244.31, not
including engineering expenses, while
for the present year of 1922 for which
the exact figures are not obtalnable,
due to the. fact hat the seasons work
has not been concluded. it is esti-
mated that S1,600,OO0 will have been
expended, making a total for the two
years of about 81, 100000.
Maintain 63 Project
In addition to this construction work
and not included in the above cost
figures the state highway commission
during the present year has maintained
all the completed federal aid projects,
63 in all. covering 700 miles of high
way in 81 counties.
At the present time the state high
way department has under its super
vision 40 federal aid projects which are
either under construction or for which
contracts have been awarded and upon
which construction is to begin at once.
During the present year the high
way commission has made recommen-
dations to the federal government for
the construction Of highway projects
within tho hornIo rioc nf national
forests necessitating expenditures of
federal funds a~ggregating between
$4,000 and $500, 900. With the ex-
eeption of one project all of these re-
concentrations have been approved
and all of the approved projects with
the exception of two have already been
placed under contract. Included in
these approved projects is the Monarch
Logging Creek project in Cascade
county, upon which the governm ent will
spend $4,000 without cooperation or
any cost whatever to the highway
commission or the county and through
its construction will improve one of the
most difficult pieces of road on the
Observation-Disclosures Bee Line, the
route through the Kibbey canyon be-
tween Monarch and RiceviT1e.
There still remains approximately
$4,000 of forest highway money that
will be available for 1923 expenditure
and the highway commission is now
working on a program with the idea
OF making recommendation of projects
where this money can be used to the
best advantage.
According to federal regulations the
highway commission is required to
make recommendations to the bureau
of public roads and the national forest
service for all forest service projects
IN the state. Before taking such ac-
ton the highway department makes
reconnaissance and Investigations of
the feasibility of the projects and up
on its recommendations the secretary
OF agriculture makes his decision. The
highway commission must review and
approve the governments plans and it
gives to the project the same charac-
ter of supervision ii gives to federal
aid projects. with the exception that
it does not maintain resident ~insnec-
tors OF the job.
Indian Reservation Roads
1t was due primarily to the activi-
ties Of the Montana highway commits
sion that the government has consent
ed to the expenditure of large por-
tons of the unmatched federal aid al
Iotments to the state upon the con
struction of highways within Indian
reservations, under which plan ap-
proximately 81, 100000 Of federal funds
will be spent in Montana on projects
now being worked out.
The money is a part Of the Sill
10000 allotted to Montana. much of
which appeared in danger of being lost
to the state through inability to match
ii with county or state funds.
The commission initiated an in
qniry with the government, which in
quiry went through the necessary
channels UP to the solicitor of the de-
partment, and his opinion that this
money could be used in building roads
on Indian reservations without -requir-
ing the usual matching by local moneys
is now being used as the basis of sim