Decorah public opinion., 1923-02-07
IOWA PROFITS BY
FEDERAL ROAD AID
Gets b. * Millions More Than Is
Paid Government for Roads. We
Get Back 1888 for Each
Dollar We Pay in.
PROFIT IN EXCESS OF
FIVE MILLIONS
Senator Holdoegel of Calhoun County
Answers Questions Relative to
Operation of Road
Laws.


Des Moines, Iowa-Senator Perry
c. Holdoegel, of Calhoun county
chairman of the senate committee on
highways, today gave out a state
ment answering questions as to the
amount of federal aid Iowa receives
the amount paid in by Iowa, and
further as TO the effect of amending
the primary road law so as to per-
NIT counties which have voted to
hard surfacing to rescind such action
by a subsequent vote. A bill to
provide for this last provision is now
in the hands of the highway COM
mittee in the house.
What is the amount of federal
aid funds coming TO the state of
Iowa." Is the first question which
Senator Holddoegel answers as fol-
lows:
THE report Of the state highway
commission for the year 1922 shows
that of the federal aid funds allotted
to the state of Iowa prior to Dec. l.,
1922, $2,5S4,SS7 is still in the hands
of the government at Washington,
and that Iowa's share of the $780,
100000 of federal aid authorized by
congress in bill passed June, 1922,
will be approximately S5,400,000,
making a total of approximately SS,-
100000 coming to this state under
existing federal aid road law
The next question which Senator
Holdoegel proceeds TO answer is:
Does Iowa receive any advan-
tage from the federal aid, that is,
how does the amount which we pay
into the federal aid road fund com>
pare with the amount that we re-
ceieve back from such fund ?" The
reply is:
"Mr. c. ID. Curtis, assistant to the
chief of the United States bureau of
public roads, under date of Jan. %,
1922, advises that the United states
treasurer's report for the fiscal year
ending June 80, 1922, shows that the
total revenue collected by the gov
ernment for that year was S6,lS4,-
S54,125. OF this amount Iowa paid
$40, TAI, ,623, or 3 of 1 per cent of the
total.
"For the fiscal year ending June
80, 1921, the total revenue collected
by the federal government was SS,-
371,133,012. OF this amount Iowa
paid $47,501,4 APO, or .SS of l per cent
of the total.
Iowa receives back 3.S per cent OF
all federal aid road appropriations
made by congress. In other words
we receive back three and one-thirt
times as much as We pay into the
federal road fund. We get bacl
1888 for each dollar we pay in.
"Of the amount now coming to Vi
we will pay in only S2,400,OO0 anc
will receive back $8,00O,O00. Which
gives us clear profit of approxima
tely $5,600,00O. This S5,6OO,000 pro
fit which we receive will be paid by
some of the other states.
"Iowa must pay to the federal gov
eminent in taxes her portion of The
federal fund regardless of whethe,
she uses the federal aid fund or not
"The delegation in congress from
the state of New York has alway
voted solidly against aid appropria
tions because New York pays int
the federal aid road fund probabl!
seven times as much as she re
ceives back"
The next question taken up b,
Senator Holdoegel is: "Whalt woul,
be the effect of amending the pri
mary road law to permit countie!
which have voted TO hard surfact
their primary roads to vote to re
scind such aotion?" He answers thi!
question as follows:
"My understanding is that such an
amendment would be directly con
trary to the requirements of the fed
eral aid law. In fact | understand
that the present provisions of the
Iowa primary road law which re
quire favorable vote of the people
in any county before any portion o.
the primary road system in thai
county can be hard surfaced is il
conflict with the provisions of the
federal aid road law.
Mr. Wallace, the secretary of ag.
riculture, wrote Governor Kendall OF
Aug. II last, calling attention to this
matter suggesting that the state Law
be 30 amended as TO eliminate thi:
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