The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-07-12

MORE MILLIONS FOR ROADS


Michigan. $1.4ss.tsS; Mime
S1.S15,7sl;; Mississippi, $SSs.331.
Missouri, 31,6s1.O8s; Montana. ~
os1.2t7; Nebraska. el.0sl. l2s; -, s
vads. $6S6, 50: New Hampohlrs 5
&14s.760; New Jerssy, $sSs 81:
New Mexico. 47e3. 1ls; New YorS
"a. 464.2se; North Carolina, slim
$50: North Dakota, $71e,l7e; or
1885,. 00s: Oklahoma. sl,1ss "a: :
oregon. $788,443; Pennsylyania
93,2e6, o69; Rhode Island, 31la. ".
North Carolina. $707. 4s1; South D.
kota, $S02.707; Tennessee, $l.0S(
4el; Texas, 1850, IFS; Utah, SsS9.
27S; Vermont, $2ls,75o; virein6
$971. 219: Washington, $7sS. Soe:
West Virginia. $53l,9oS; Wisconsin
$1,3e3,211; Wyoming, $623,07S.
OF the ten millions that are to b
spent in building forest roads the
largest allotment goes to OreSbp.
where $2,270.000 have been bH
aside for the building Of 2l0 milea
Of roads, while $1,246,l97 will 70 to
California for only 80 miles that
will be extremely difficult Of con-
struction. 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 highway
covering the entire country.
States Must Maintain Roads.
Federal-aid roads must be main.
tanned by the several states. and il
any of them fail in this obligation
all government funds for new pro-
jects may be withheld to maintain
adequate highway departments and
funds to supplement the money
from the federal treasury must be
placed under the direct control Of
these departments. The type Of
surface constructed must be ade-
Quate for the traffic anticipated,
with reasonable grades, curves, and
other features. All federal money
must be expended on a connectad
system of highways constituting not
more than Z per cent Of the total
mileage in each state and divided
into primary or interstate roads
and secondary or inter-county
roads. Elimination Of the problem
Of railroad grade crossings is one
! of the things sought by the provis-
ions of the new law In all roads
constructed in part with govern
ment money Every effort must be
made, and additional expenditures
are authorized, to avoid the dan
gerous crossings that annually take
such a toll of human lives.
An illustration Of what a men
ace grade crossings may be is found
in a road between two small towns
| in Alabama, Ariton and and Clay.
ton. In a distance Of Is miles the
old road crossed the railroad II
times. Under the direction OF expert
engineers the federal-aid road will
eliminate IL Of these crossings.
plan now the financing Of high
ways for the future and placs high
way transportation, which has
came to be an indispensable part
of our national life, on a finn
foundation" is the advice given b!
, Thomas H. Macdonald to every vot
er, taxpayer and legislator. MI
Macdonald is the chief Of the fed
eral bureau of public roads. wv
! are starting out to construct a sys
tenn OF highways such as no natiol
ever before constructed. The near
est approach to it is found in Franc
and Germany, and the area o
neither of these countries is a
large as Texas This great under
taking is entered into because high
ways are not a luxury, but supply
real service, have a real earnini
capacity, and have become a ma
tional necessity"
/ When and where man first be
gan to build roads is not known
That it was long before the begin
ming of authentic history is certain
Furthermore the construction 0
such works as the pyramids o
Egypt, and the great walls ant
hanging gardens of Babylon coul'
mot have been accomplished with
lout the existence of roads for th
Transportation of materials AM
supplies.
/ But whatever the beginning Q
iroad building it appears that it ha
been left to this country to carr
1.-THE art to its final fruition. We ar
leading the world at the prese1
time and the policy that is bein
carried out meets with such wide
spread popular approval that ther
is no likelihood of it being aban
doned.