The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1923-08-16
FEDERAL AID IN BUILDING
ROADS IN IDAHO.

South highway by the owner OF the
Boise Statesman is responsible tor "A
recent attack by that paper upon fed b
eral aid road projects in the state.
Although at the head of a great agen-
cy for the collection and dissclnina-
ton of the news which has repeatedly
warned the public that the section of
the highway south of the Salmon river
was dangerous and dimcult to negoti-
ate, the gentleman seems to have en-
parked upon the journey obliyious to
the warnings from his own paper
And now his paper is out condenning
the federal aid system and say, that
Idaho would have more good roads
and safe roads today if she had never
taken cent of federal aid" That
statement requires no denial, for the
simple reason that people who are
familiar with road conditions in this
state know that it is not true.
Federal aid road projects contem-
plate permanent highways, which IN
volve minimum maintenance cost In
many sections of the state the cost is
necessarily heavy and the construc-
ton must continue over period of
several years, but when the job is
completed the road question is settled
practically for all time. because
few counties have gone beyond the
limit in voting bonds to match federal
appropriations for road building is not
a valid argument against federal CO.
operation in road building Because
one merchant through mistaken iudg-
ment regarding business conditions
buys beyond his means to pay and
becomes bankrupt is no reason to
conclude that every other merchant /
in the same line will meet similar
fate.
shoshone county presents a con-
crete example that proves the fallacy
of the Sstateman's argument This
county has recently sold bonds to the
amount Of 100000 to match in round
figures 100000 appropriated from the
federal aid fund, an 90 hc used in paw
ing seventeen miles of highway across
the county and bringing the balance
of the road up to government stand
ard. Before these bonds were voted
it was shown from the county records
beyond dispute that the amount ex-
pended annually in maintaining this
highway in it's present condition is
more than enough to pay the interest
on the bonds and create "a sinking
fund that will retire them in ten
years; in fact it is almost certain that
the entire issue viii be paid in less
than ten years. as there is an option
clause that permits payment any lime y
after five years. VIII anyone contend =
that il was not good business on the
part of the taxpayers to vote these
money to build this highway and for
ever after be relieved of maintenance
cost? Further after paying the in
terest and providing for the sinking q
fund each year. there stiu will be p
in the annual road fund 20 be s.
used in extending and maintaining Il
side roads greater than is now avail C.
able for that purpose, and all this viii n
be accomplished without increasing II
The tax levy In the face of these il
facts and they are afcts that can be "a
verified by the county records. the cl
protest of the Statesman against fed ia
sral aid for road construction in Idaho st
Is absurd. re
There is a sound argument against p'
federal aid. 1t is that the money APP IL
oropriated by the federal government al
S merely returning to the people the p'
money that they have paid in some Ell
.orm of taxation: that the states can W
)uild their own roads cheaper than III
he federal government and that by e2
ioing SO they would reduce the bur- al
len of taxation they are now carry fl'
ng. This may be true. but since the OF
present system of federal aid has st
been adopted and the money is going ic
10 be spent for road building, it would w