Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-17
ROAD AID
POINTS CLARIFIED
Distinction Between Rural
"Post" Designations May
Affect Appropriations.
BY JAMES w. BROOKS,

director American HIGHWAY EQucatiOnal
Bureau.
This false conception arises in the
needs on rural free delivery mail roads
threatens to confuse the public mind at
the present session of Congress in con-
nection with the usual Federal aid ap-
preparation for highway work.
This false conceptionarises in the
first place from the fact that there is
not proper understanding of the dis
tinction between the original term post
road" and rural mail road, or rural
post road" as 1t has come to be known
in latter day legislative parlance. The
first is the high road OF post chaise"
days when taverns and stables marked
the principal stopping places en- route,
while the second Is in no sense a main
road requiring equal treatment in the
matter of improvement expenditures.
The first has developed into the num-
bered United States or State highway,
while the second remains in its orig
inal classification as a by-road or COM
munity connection with the main route.
Viewed in the light Of the original
meaning of the word post" why the
by-road Is termed also a post road"
explainable than the reason why steam
ship departures are still listed as sail
ing tomorrow" when, as every one
knows, steam has long since supplanted
wind in backing out of the harbor.
Rural Mail Road.
But the cold fact, so far as highway
progress is concerned, is that the rural
mail road, important as it is q COM
munication link, does not share in i'm
portance with the main route, and any
claim to the contrary is falsely based.
For one thing, to attempt to set up
secondary Federal aid zone when work
on the first and most heavily Travelled
zone is approximately but IS per cent
finished, as has been repeatedly stated
before, would be to court disaster and
endanger secondary road progress with
unconstitutional procedure, since the
Federal Government can deal only
through State highway departments and
not direct with counties and townships,
in which the major mileage of rural
mail roads is located. In a few States,
complete State supervision in due time
of all roads has been wisely provided
for, but until this is done in all States,
the Federal Government cannot be eX-
pected to reach out to back roads, and
certainly not before the main roads are
Struction.
It is claimed that there are $4,000,
rural mail carriers using l,270,746 miles
of rural road, practically all of which
need improvement, and that to improve
this mileage no increase in taxation
or gasoline and motor license fees
would be necessary, simply broader
use of present funds. Against this
group of $4,000 may be set down that
larger group of 25,000,o00 motor car
owners who are justified in their de-
mands that major routes be completed
more rapidly and according to program.
Federal Aid Average.
For the past few years, Federal aid
appropriations have averaged $75,-
900 year for main route construc-
ton. No road, even of the least ex-
pensive type, can be improved at less
than approximately So, 900 a mile, which
would mean considerably over $4,000
100000 on rural mail roads. Thereby
would hang an almost incredible main
tenance tale, for bookkeeping on road
repairs already shows conclusively that
the first cost is not the last, by any
means, particularly in the case of
lighter-type construction.
It has come to be an American habit
of blithely talking about more money
than there is, figuratively speaking, re-
CARELESS of previous commitments or
obligations. and this habit seems to be
taking hold in the matter of road build
ing. If there are any hot chestnuts''
to be pulled out of the fire for political
or road material reasons or otherwise.
motorists and other taxpayers are not
the ones to get their fingers burnt in
having their highway capital spread out
over too much mileage when it is not
yet sufficient to complete the main task