The border vidette. (Nogales, Ariz.) 1894-1934, 1923-03-31
WAR EXPLOSIVES AVAILABLE

new highway administrations,
namely, South Dakota and Ari
zona, in the West. and Pennsyl
vania, in the East, now have an
exceptional opportunity to share
in the distribution of the gov
ernment's surplus war explo
sives.
By acting early. and making
their wants known to the State
Highway Commissions as soon
as possible, these states will be
able to obtain large supplies of
cartridged picric acid, for road
building aud maintenance, order
ed by Act of Congress, for the
benefit of road builders and
farmers, so that the taxpayers
of state and county taxes may
be saved hundreds of thousands
of dollars.
When the war ended the gov.
ernment found itself with mil
lions of pounds of surplus war.
explosives left on it's hands.
Congress passed laws that these
should be distributed to the farm
ers and highway commissions Of
the states through the Depart
ment of Agriculture, and the
Bureau Of Public Roads is now
making allotments for this dis
tribution. The cartridged picric
acid may be obtained without
charge except cost of seven
cents a pound, for drying, car
tridging. and distribution, plus
freight. In addition, blasting
caps or detonators are furnished
free, one to each pound of the
picric acid, which means an extra
saving of approximately two
cents a pound on the cost of the
picric acid.
The new highway administra
ton in Pennsylvania will build
roads on many new locations,
etc. They are expected to need
a large quantity of surplus war
explosives, add this is available
now, although it may not be
when the allotments for all the
other states are taken. In a
number of counties of Pennsyl-
vania county roads are to be re.
located and a number of these
counties will use a carload or
more each of government explo
sives.
In Arizona, the government
picric acid is being used on the
roads being built in the deep
canyons. There are thousands
of tons of solid rock to be blast
ed out and the Bureau of Public
Roads officials know that much
explosive will be needed. In
the past few years Arizona high.
way officials have used large
quantities of the picric acid, and
in some cases they have had to
pay high freight rates for long
hauls, but this year the explo
sive can be obtained from Fort
Wingate, New Mexico, almost
next door, with a consequent low
freight rate. 1t is understood
that the new highway officials in
Arizona my need as much as
l 900, 900 pounds.
In South Dakota there is big
road building program. There
is one particularly large project
in the Black Hills, chiefly through
solid rock. Senator Norbeck of
this state has taken a deep in
terest in the distribution of the
surplus war explosives to his
state, and secured large guam
titles of it for South Dakota
while be was governor. Senator
Norbeck, who is now in South
Dakota, reports to Washington
officials that be is prepared to do
everything possible Or desirable
to see that his state shall benefit
as much as possible in the dis
tribution.
Bureau of Public Road officials
are anxious that road building
contractors, county road super
visors. county road commission
ers, highway engineers and
others in charge of road build.
ing construction, either state or
local, shall make their wants
known in regard to the cartridg.
ed picric acid at once, and that
the new highway officials in the
states mentioned shall requisi.
ton what they need through
their State Highway Commits
sions as soon as possible. There
are now less than $500, 900
pounds of the cartridged picric
acid left.