Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1928-05-21
HIGHWAY Plan
!0F STERLING
! is ENDORSED
Issuance of $350,000,-
0C0 Bonds And Re-
paying Counties Is
State Chiefs Idea

4 special TO The Herald
HOUSTON, May a2.-When Ross
;. Sterling of Houston publicly pro-
posed a statewide road bond issue
ior Texas, a couple of weeks ago
Re started neutrality-suspicious.
that IS beginning TO take on the ear
marks Of a landslide.
spontaneous commentators o. me
plan began flooding the state high
way commission c~hairman's oitice
the next day after the announce
raent; BY wire. telephone and Voro
OF mouth-and they have been
streaming in ever since.
Y Most of the leading daily news
papers of Texas have editorlally en-
dorsed the program, which suggests
that the present system Of financing
q highway building be replaced with
S350.0o0. 900 bond issue based on q
asoline tax. for paving the state
highways lin time for this genera
ton TO enjoy them" and returning
20 the counties for lateral road con-
struction the $4,000 0Oo 70 $4,000,
goo they have contributed toward
state highways.
Gets SolCn's Approval
The chairman of the congressional
house committee on good roads has
approved Mr.. Sterling'S proposal; 80
has the acting chief of the federal
bureau of good roads. The other
two members Of the state commits
sion are urging its adoption BY the
next legislature. County commits
sioners courts over the state are In
dorsinE IL by resolution. and friends
have volunteered to seek it's endorse
ment by the state association OF
county judges at its next meeting.
han ers Of and other
civic organizations have formally
commended il; legislators have praIs-
ed II, and scores Of prominent citi-
TENS of the state have not only sane
toned It.. but offered their active
assistance in putting IL over.
SO many requests for e~xplana-
tons of the plan have besieged Mr..
sterling that he had his original
statement, supplemented by consid-
cradle more information, printed in
pamphlet form. to avoid, as he said,
having 70 drop my regular work
and take \ job as reformation bu-
reau."
To Mail Pamphlets
his office was preparing Il mail
out five thousand copies OF the PAM
phlet 10 such inquirers. and 70 coun-
W commissioners courts. chambers
OF commerce. members OF the state
leSlslature, and newspapers. He
said that any others desiring cop
les may have them Ipon request.
Mr.. Sterling admitted that he was
surprised-to say nothing Of elsted
lat the hearty welcome that has
greeted his announcement. ~ had
thought possibly a campaign would
be necessary to put it over" he
smiled, but it begins to look as
though the people of Texas will at
SEND 70 the campaign themselves.
have never seen such a ire
mendous immediate response 10 a
pubic proposition in Texas. excent
~ Aoody's fight for honesty and
responsibility in state highway af-
fairs.'
Next 70 the inducement Of getting
the state highway system improved
IN q few years, without greater cost
IN the long run than under the pres
ent system, the most popular fea-
ture Of the Sterling plan seems to
be. judging BY the response. the re-
fund on all money spent on state
reads by counties. less depreciation.
This provision, the highway chair
man pointed out. enables the coun-
ties to improve their local roads AZ
the same time the state highways
are being built, thus assuring COM
pletion Of the entire system "A
quickly as IL possibly can be done
Newspapers Favorable
Among the newspapers that have
spoken fsvorably of the Sterling plan
IN editorials are:
Dallas News, Austin Statesman.
Fort Worth Star Telegram. Beau
mont Enterprise. Galveston News.
Wichita Falls Times. Port Arthur
News. DeniSon Herald. Waco News
Tribune. Corpus Christi Caller. Mar
shall News, Athens Review. Temple
Telegram. Bonhsm Favorite. Mexis
News, Bryan Eagle. Victoria Advo-
cate. Center Champion, Childress In
dex. Rockwell Success, Orange Lead.
er and a number Of weeklies.
Congressman Cassius c. Dowell. of
Iowa, chairman of the house roads
committee. in a recent interview IN
Washington, lauding the Sterling
program, emphasized the need ~ 4
state bond issue in solving the Tex
as highway problem. He pointed ou'
that Texas. with by far the greatest
state road mileage, was eighth in
amount expended on roads. and
shout 40th in annual road invest
Yaent per capita. Texas receives
more federal aid than any other
state, according % Chairman Dow
ellis committees figures. He said
his home state. a small one. ~ plan
ming 8 800, 100000 bond issue.