The Bismarck tribune., 1925-06-13
JARDINE GIVES
TALK AT NEW
ROAD OPENING
Makes Principal Address at
Dedication of Trans
continental Link

uiSoo pIoC 'SHoWS tuC lSuS LHC
Southwest is going in order to divert
and in competition with highway
here today by William NJ Jardine,
secretary of the department of agri-
culture. at the opening Of the
Wendover cut-off.
The secretary declared that the
project was not primarily of benefit
to the state but Essentially a link
i'm transcontinental highway Of the
first Importance. and its special
purpose is the service of interstate
traffic"
Federal Aid
"This project would have been i'm
possible if the resources Of Utah
only had been available for its
prosecution" Mr.. Jardine said. "Of
the $3.50, 900 required for its compile
tion, the United States Government
has furnished as federal aid ap-
proximately $284,00O. This very sub,
stantial contribution has been possi-
bic because the road is part of the
federal aid highway system, in which,
in the United States as whole
there are about l75,000 miles, and
in Utah alone, 1,5SS miles. And so
there has been from the beginning
not only the most splendid cooper
alton between the state highway de-
partment and the public between the
engineers and the contractor, but
also the cooDeration of the federal
government.
"This, principle of federal aid for
highway construction is now in it's
tenth year. Already 623 miles of
federal aid highways are built or
under construction, in this state.
Federal aid does several things for
highway construction. 1t provides s
considerable sums of money for
needed construction and thus furn-
ished means for building gaps in
highways that would otherwise not
be filled. 1t insures certain con
centration of funds on selected
system of roads which is reasonably
adequate to serve perhaps as much
as 80 per cent of all highway traf-
fic; and it also insures standardiza
tion on high plane and uniformity
of construction. Congress has auth
orized up to July, 1923. a total cx-
penditure of $500. 100000 for high
ways on the federal aid system. A
very considerable amount, you will
say. yet the Governments collections
in the form of excise taxes on man
ufactured motor vehicles and parts
represent an even greater sum.
at is now possible to see by the
evidence of the progress in the
Western states that the construction
Of the federal aid highway system
is going to be successfully accom-
plished within reasonable time
The road westward from Salt Lake
City to San Francisco, is now about
to be completed. Federal road prof
ects are now being financed in Utah
to the extent of 70 per cent from
federal allotmcats; in the adjoining
State of Nevada. to the extent Of "a
per cent: and in California, to the
extent of co per cent.
Need Of Assistance Is Felt
at is here in the West that need
for federal assistance for roads is
most strongly felt and expressed
Within few years the entire West
will have been available to the east
ern tourists and the same roads will
be accommodating as never before
the interstate and intrastate busi-
ness traffic of the immediate region
Nowhere is more to be gained by
highway improvement than in these
Western states, and there is evidence
of their appreciation of this fact in
the heavy per capita expenditures
which they annually apply to the
highways. for such expenditures are
not equaled in any other section OF
the country.
at is impossible adequately to
predict the ultimate significance Oh
the effects of the comrletion of the
Wendover cutoff. We know that
for the first time it provides direct
route to San Francisco. We know
that San Francisco has been one OF
the important objectives Of the Pa
cific coast for westward travellers
for half century of eastern tour
lists who are going to the Pacific
Coast. These tourists know that the
Pacific coast highways are paved
and accordingly, that to reach San
Francisco is to reach any portion OF
the coast by paved highway.
A Mistaken Belief
"There is one other mistaken be-
lief with regard to highway improve
ment to which / should like to di.
rect your attention at this time
Some people seem to think that what
they choose to call the excessive
taxes for road improvement are due
to the building of the main roads
by the. state' highway departments
and the state highway department
and the federal government are
sometimes accused of wasteful ex
penditures on these main roads
From some quarters there has come
the demand that we return to the
old policy of county control of al
road work as a means Of reducing
the cost. Well, the fact is, as L have
previously said, that the federal roat
expenditure is less than one-tentl
of the total; and the whole expen
diture by the state highway depart
ments and the federal government
together is less than half the an
nual billion dollar expenditures. Ye
these roads built by the state high
way departments and the fedora
government, because they are by tal
the most important roads, carry much
more than half the traffic.
"And so, while we are to be con
graduated on the completion of th'
Wendover, cutoff as a link in tn
great highway system which we re
quire. and while it is splendid en-
gineering achievement, j feel tina
the completion of this road is, frs
of all, lesson in the value ant
wisdom of cooperative endeavor il
the construction Of the principe
roads. Toward the building of thi
road each interested governmental
unlt---eounty, state and United, State
has given Of its resources in pro
portion to the benefits it will re
ceive, and any Improvement which j
would have been impossible or in
advisable for any one to undertake
alone has been successfully achieve'
by a splendid cooperation. We ma,
we'll reach, as the best result of thi
effort, increased resolution to g.
forward until we shall have reached
the goal toward which our effort
are directed-the completion Of
we'll balanced and thoroughly artic
ulated system Of highways"