The Winslow mail., 1922-02-17
IS THE HOLBROOk-
GALLUP ROAD
ELIMINATED

Under the new federal aid law for
the construction of highways under
the per cent system, the act reads
as follows:
Before any projects are approx
ed in any State, such State, through
its State Highway Department, shall
select or designate a system of high
ways not to exceed Z per centum of
the total highway mileage of such
State as shown by the records of
the State Highway Department. at
the time of the passage of this Act
Upon this system all Federal Aid
shall be expended. Highways which
may receive Federal aid shall be di-
vided into two classes, one of which
shall be known as primary or inter
state highways, and shall not exceed
three-sevenths of the total mileage
which may receive Federal aid. and
the other which shall connect or
correlate Herewith and be known as
secondary or intercounty highways,
and shall consist of the remainder
of the mileage which may receive
Federal Aid
"The Secretary of Agriculture
shall have authority to approve in
whole or in part the systems as de-
gignated, or to require notifications
or revisions thereof"
The engineer of District No. 13,
which includes Arizona and New
Mexico, included as primary road
highway to parallel the Santa Fe
from Topock east through Kingman,
Flagstaff and Winslow to Holbrook
trivn totn inc
Lupton to join with the New Mexico
state highway from Los Lunas west
through Gallup. This is the line Of
the National Old Trails as original
ly located.
State Engineer Thomas Maddox,
however, in making his recommend
alton for the state system of high
ways states as follows:
Second You suggest that we
add the road between Holbrook and
Lupton to our per cent system. AS
previously explained, there is no
state or county funds available for
the construction of this road, to
| Federal Aid standards. The road
shown through Apache County on
our per cent system is that on
which Federal Aid funds have al
| ready been secured This has been
| the main travelled road across Ari-
| zona for many years. We, therefore,
feel that it would be improper for
your department to insist that New
Mexico continue on the present
route rather than permit them to
adopt a new route and then insist
| that Arizona connect with this new
route"
Mr.. Maddox has evidently over
loked the fact that Apache county
| recently voted a bond issue of $175,-
600. of which amount $4,000 is set
| aside for the road paralleling the
| Santa Fe across the northern part
| of that county. Mr. Maddox, who
represents all the people of the
state except those along the Nation
al Old Trails road from here east to
the state line near Lupton, is evil
IDENTIFY procrastinating his official
power for the purpose of leaving
| our section of the state strictly up
| in the air. In this instance, how
| evr, Mr.. Maddox is going to meet
with a strong opposition to his un-
wieldy stand.
The road paralleling the Santa Fe
from Holbrook to Gallup is the log
| ical location for federally aided
| highway. It always has been such,
| although the road via Springerville
and Magda1ena has been in former
years the most used. 1t Isl doubtful,
however, whether such is the case
at the present time, or during the
past year. The fact that this road
,,,,,, 11o1c tho Santa Fe an
parently q consistent argument that
| it is a better location for federal
highway, or highway upon which
federal aid should be expended. New
Mexico has recognized this fact and
the people of this section of the
state recognize the fact even though
the state engineering department
does not There is no objection to
the use of federal money if it can
be secured for the road across
Apache county by way Of Springer
vile. ANY reasonable person would
be glad to have them obtain 1t, but
WHY should the natural location for
the highway across the state be
partly eliminated when it is shorter
and runs through a country of less
elevation and consequently better
topography for the location sof such
transcontinental highway? How
much longer are the people OF this
section of the state going to accept
these packages Just because they
/ are proffered? We admit our mi
nority but not our inferiority. There
are some rights that belong even to
minority. Let's wake up.