The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1924-07-24
MOTOR USERS MUST
PAY FOR HIGHWAYS
Nv ROY D. CHAPLIN

BY ROY D. CHAPLIN
chairman Highways Committee. Ma
tional Automobile Chamber of Com
merce.)
Working steadily ahead on pro-
gram which, because of it's immensely,
showed but few results at the outset,
the highway engineers of the United
States have finally carried their task
forward to a point at which the public
can obtain visual demonstration of
results in every state.
At the end of 1918 there were 12.5
miles of completed federal aid projects
in the country. Since then projects
amounting to 29,772 miles have been
completed, 1888 miles are under con-
struction and 5000 miles more have
been approved for construction.
Virtually all of this work has been
done on those main highways which
constitute the selected federal-aid sys-
tenn of Z per cent of the highways of
the country, and yet the funds so ex-
pended from both federal and state
sources are less than one-half of an
nual expenditures made for rural high
way purposes. The other funds have
been expended, first, under state juris-
diction on the secondary roads, and,
second, under county and local super
vision on the county and purely local
roads
The net result is that as we swing
into 1924 there are approximately 49,
600 miles of highways in the United
States on which there has been some
degree of improvement, from those of
sand clay up to the heaviest and most
durable roads known to modern en-
cheering. The total mileage of all
types of roads in the country is 2,941,-
294.
This achievement, which gives us
mileage of improved roads almost four
times as great as all of the roads In
the United Kingdom, has been attained
only lust in time to take care of the
swelling army Of motorcar drivers, and
1t will only be by continuation of
the present program for the next ten
years that we can finally arrive at
completed system somewhat nearly APP
proximating the needs of highway traf-
f1c
The principal problem which at once
becomes evident to the student OF
highway transport is that of how an
undertaking of this size is to be
financed, requiring as 1t does and will
for a decade an annual appropriation
of at least 81 ,000,0 100000 from nation
al state and local sources.
The answer has been obtained, in
part at least, through conferences
which have been held among officials
of the American Association of State
Highway officials, the National Auto
mobile Chamber of Commerce, the In
yestment Bankers of America and the
bureau of public roads.
Repeated conferences based upon ac-
tual investigations have finally result
ed in an agreement upon 10 points,
which. it Is believed by all that were
party to thea, will give the nation
sound platform for highway finance.
The chief points SO disclosed were
that all that benefit from highway con-
struction should join in paying for
them, that maintenance of the inter
state and state systems is justihabiy
chargeable against the motor user, that
highway expenditures should be based
upon budgets, and should not be out or
line with other public needs, and hnal-
ly that, depending upon the compare
tive stage of the highway program,
long-term bond issues should be voted
to provide for immediate construction
of the principal systems which must
inevitably cost the public less to build
and maintain than to go without.