The Winslow mail., 1925-10-06
FEDERAL AID FOR HIGHWAYS
THERE is genuine cause for

alarm in the effort now being
made by eastern states to force or
persuade the government to dis
continue federal aid for highways.
Such a backward step in the pro-
gram of road building and other
wise developing the country's re-
sources would not only be damag-
ing to the states which are relying
on such aid but would be short
sighted and improbable move from
the standpoint of the national gov
ernment.
For generations it has been the
policy of the United States gov
ernment to encourage and aid the
development of resources, to pro-
mote progress and to increase the
wealth of the nation. That it has
been a profitable policy in every
way an economist can testify.
Aside from the general value of the
progress attained taxable wealth
has been created which has return
ed directly to the government far
more than was ever invested by the
government. Long ago the govern
ment aided in establishing post
roads. Railroads were aided and
in more recent years, with the ad-
vent of the motoring era, the con-
struction of highways has been
fostered through federal aid equit-
ably apportioned in accordance
with needs and with the road build
ing program of the various states.
Discontinuance of federal aid
would be exceedingly Improbable
for the country in general. 1t
would be improbable for those
very eastern states which are agi-
tating the matter because they pro-
fit very definitely from any national
development that brings an excess
of taxable wealth. So far as the
western states are concerned the
question is of more immediate con-
cern because their road building
programs are menaced. 1t is in
cumbent, therefore, upon the west
ern states, in every way possible
to offer united and aggressive de-
fense of federal aid for highways
and to make such a showing that
the next Congress will see the
dangerous and unwise, character of
the agitation to discontinue nation
al highway aid.
The states of the west need only
to be awakened to the gravity of
the situation They have strong
case to present and it should be a
winning case. Virtually all Of the
national forests and national parks
of the government have been taken
by the government from the west
ern states. A large percentage OF
the area of these states is now in
federal reserves and in those areas
the grazing lands, timber, water
and power and minerals are un-
available for the use of these states.
AS the national parks and forest
reserves from recreation grounds
Tor the people of the east as we'll as
Tor the west, and as these vast
areas are inaccessible without ade-
uuate highways, the western states
are fully justified in their demand
for federal aid in building such
roads.
The United States realized rev.
enue of $9S6,646 from the national
forests of California last year, only
pne-fourth of which is returned to
the state for schools and roads.
Again there is an overwhelming
weight of argument in favor of
continuance of federal aid in the
situation of the eleven western
states with respect to roadbuilding
programs. 1t is virtually impos-
isible for most of these states to
maintain an adequate road building
program and of meeting the con-
stantly increasing demands OF mo-
tor travel without the help Of the
fpdpral government