Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-07-17

S1.415,731; Mississippi, $S63,271; Mis-
souri,, $1,632,0S6; Montana, $1,O31,-
257; Nebraska, S1.O54.126; Nevada,
S635. 1924; New Hampshire. S2243 $50;
New Jersey, $62S,5S1; New Mexico.
S793. 216; New York, 5 .464. 800: North
Carolina. 81. 100, $50; North Dakota,
S776,476: Ohio, 81, 1852, OO3; Oklahoma,
S1.16S.266; Oregon, $7SS, 443; Penn
s%ylvania. s 2,265, 969; Rhode Island,
S243, $50: South Carolina, S7O7. 1872;
South Dakota, $SO2.7 O7; Tennessee.
81. 900, 461; Texas, $2,95O.115: Utah,
$3.50, c7S; Vermont, $243. $50; Virginia,
S971 .219; Washington. $735, 500: West
virginia, $334,9 800; Wisconsin, s $685.
eli; Wyoming, $623,O7S.
OF the ten millions that are to be
spent in building forest roads, the
largest allotment goes to Oregon,
where $2,27O.OOO have been set aside
for the building of 21O miles of roads,
while S1.246, 1877 will go to California
for only 80 miles that will be extremely
difficult of construction. Virtually all
of these roads will fit into state and
county systems and therefore in most
cases will connect with and extend the
system of federal-aid highways cover
ing the entire country.
States Must Maintain Roads
Federal-aid roads must be main
tanned by the several states. and if any
of them fail in this obligation all gov
eminent funds for new projects may
be withheld until such delinquencies
are made good. All the states are re-
auired to maintain adequate highway
departments and funds to supplement
the money from the federal treasury
must be placed under The direct con-
troll of these departments. The type
of surface constructed must be ade-
ouate for the traffic anticipated, with
reasonable grades, curves and other
features. All federal money must be
expended on a connected system of
highways constituting not more than Z
per cent of the total mileage in each
state and divided into primary or inter
state roads and secondary or inter
county roads. Elimination of the
problem of railroad grade crossings is
one of the things sought by the provi-
sions of the new law. In all roads
constructed in part with government
money every effort must be made. and
additional expenditures are authorized,
to avoid the dangerous crossings that
annually take such toll of human life.
An illustration of what q menace
grade crossings may be is found in a
road between two small towns in Ala
bama, Ariton and Clayton. In a dis
lance of % miles the old road crossed
the railroad IA times. Under the di-
rection of expert engineers the federal
aid road will eliminate 13 of these
crossings.
Plan now the financing of high
ways for the future and place highway
transportation. which has come TO be
an indispensable part of u national
life, on a firm foundation is the ad-
vice given by Thomas II. Macdonald
to every voter. taxpayer and legislat-
or. Mr.. Macdonald is the chief of the
federal bureau of public roads. I'VE
are starting out to construct a system
Of highways such as no nation ever
before constructed. The nearest APP
proach to it is found in France and
Germany. and the area of neither of
those countries is as large as Texas.
This great undertaking is entered into
because highways are not a luxury.
but supply a real service. have a real
earning capacity and have become a
national necessity"
When and where nan first began TO
build roads is not known. That it was
long before the beginning Of authentic
history is certain. Furthermore the
construction of such works as the pyr-
amids of Egypt and the great walls
and hanging gardens of Babylon could
not have been accomplished without
the existence of roads for the trans
poriation of materials and supplies.
But whatever the beginnings of road
building it appears that it has been
left to this country to carry the art
to it's final fruition. We are leading
the world at the present time and the
policy that is being carried out meets
with such widespread popular approval
that there is no likelihood of its being
abandoned.