Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1927-09-23

Great FalIs-Belt Road
A method of applying heavy oil to
roads so hat the fine gravel Is thor
0ughly mixed and the road assumes
the appearance and wearing qualities
of pavement is to be used in Montana
this fall and next spring to determine
its fitness for conditions I'm the state,
o. =. Warden, chairman of the state
highway commission, re-
Gently in an address at the monthly
luncheon of the executives of the Ana
eonda Copper Mining company.
The first work is to be done between
Butte and Anaconda. Then a stretch
on the Great Falls-Cascade highway will
be treated. and next spring the process
will be applied on the Great Falls-Belt
road.
A. E. Wiggin, general superintendent
of the smelter. in introducing Mr.. War
den, said that not until this summer,
when he was in the east, did he realize
''how far we are behind on roads IN
Montana"
Mr.. Warden said that highway on
struction has become the biggest pro-
gram in the United States, II 1t is
now the biggest constructor expenditure
so far as Montana is concerned. Nothing
in the nation, he said, has developed
in q more logical way than the building
of roads adequate for modern traffic
conditions. He recited the history OF
federal aid highway appropriations.
State Appointments
The first allotment of funds. in 1916,
for the improvement of post roads
The present federal aid policy was adopt
ed in 1921. when provision to appropri-
ate SIS, 000, 600 a year on a cooperative
plan was made. The state apportion-
ments are based one-third On population,
one-third on area and one-third on pub
lie lands. In the case of Montana this is
56 per cent by the federal government
for a matching OF A per cent by the
state.
Montana should have started its high
way program IL 1921, when the federal
aid act was adopted, Mr.. Warden said
but the state waited until 1926. Prior
TO that time some federal aid money
had been obtained when counties built
roads by matching funds with the United
States. In November, 1926, the people
of the state adopted initiative No. 81,
which increased the tax on gasoline
from 2 to 8 cents a gallon and a state
highway plan was established whereby
all this gasoline money became available
to the state highway commission
Through the activities of the counties
III GO~OptIQllOh Will lllC 4CQCldl BOfClh ~
ment 1920 miles of road were built in
Montana. Under the federal plan Mon
tana's federal aid mileage is 1890. The
state commission this year has let con-
tracts on 60 projects and % bridges. Mr.
Warden indicated that next year it will
be possible to construct larger projects
which will mean a cutting OF engineer
ing and overhead costs.
State Distracted
The legislature this year enacted two
laws relating to state highway construc-
ton. One divides the state into IL dis
tricts and requires that road building
be on the basis Of unconstructed mileage
The other measure provided for a refund
OF the tax on gasoline used for agricul
tural IL industrial purposes. This yea,
the commission, which had to be re-
organized under the new state policy
necessarily got a late start, Mr.. Warder
pointed out, but it will be ready earl!
next year to award it's contracts.
Montana is now getting about 81 1900,
900 a year under the federal aid act
which must be matched within 81
months or it will revert and be appor
toned among states that are in a posi-
ton to take it up. This state lost con
siderable money between 1921 and THU
year. If Montana had the money 4
could take up much more federal ale
assistance than it now does. according tt
the state highway commission chairman
This state receives approximately $3.50,
600 a year for oad building in nationa
forests or for roads adjacent to the for
ests and of benefit to the reserves.
One of the problems in the state Il
restoring roads which have deterioratcc
because there were no funds to main
tain them, Mr.. Warden indicated
Experiments Observed
The Montana commission has watched
closely experiments In Oregon and else
where a system of oiling highways. Cali
fornia is having success with an oilint
process. An oiling machine from tina
state has just arrived at Butte and VII
be employed on the gravel stretch con
Meeting the Butte-Anaconda pavement
One reason for starting the work her
is because this highway is in poor con
dition. and there will be an o%pportunit,
to see how the method OF working tn
heavy oil into fine gravel will operate
MFR Warden said