Evening star., 1929-12-01
STATES SEE ERA
OF ROAD BUILDING
More Federal Aid Expected
After Presidents
Appeal.
BY JAMES w. BROOKS.

Director, American Highway Educational
Bureau.
President Hoover's call for full speed
ahead in public construction has met
with an almost instant response from
practically every State highway de-
partment in the country. During the
past week or 10 days a recheck of
plans and projects in the various States
has been undertaken to determine
where and how much new mileage NAV
be taken over for early improvement.
This was done at the request of Presl-
dent Hoover.
So far as it affects highway con-
Struction, the Presidents call for more
energetic yet prudent" action came at
an opportune moment. For some time
past the country'S engineering forces,
with the exception of few States, have
not been functioning to full capacity.
funds to match like appropriations by
States.
Ahead Of Federal Aid.
AS a matter of fact, the States have
gone so far ahead on the Federal aid
system that the present improved
mileage shows that more miles have
been built without any Federal funds
whatsoever than with the use of FED
eral funds, despite the fact that the
Federal Government entered into an
agreement with the States to assist
them to the extent Of $4,000 per mile.
1t may come, therefore, as somewhat
Of q surprise to the general public to
learn that the States which do the
actual construction have been pressed
SO hard for a greater mileage of i'm
proved roads that they have gone ahead
of the Federal Government to the eA-
tent Of millions of dollars. This situa-
ton has been authoritatively explained
to the President by State highway Of
f1cialS.
States Anxious to Start.
Under these conditions, to borrow a
half-forgotten phrase from the horse
age, the States are "rarin' and ready to
CO." They have been tied, in a sense,
to the hitch rack Of economy" but the
for more action has given them hope of
more generous cooperation on the part
OF the Federal Government. They do
not ask the Government to bring its
part OF the $3.50 agreement up to date,
but they do expect, particularly in view
Of the present situation, that the regu-
lar Federal aid appropriation will be in
creased to at least $125, ,000,000 per year.
Furthermore, the States are expecting
President Hoover OF lend his support to
their plans for the completion of the
| vast network of main highways em-
braced in the original State and inter-
state program before venturing the
Federal aid principle into the zone Of
purely local roads.
1t is upon the main system, where
motor vehicle operating waste is heavi-
4 vrrkNA okaef ~asyf,a &N
the public are to be gained.
rs Per cent Is Paved.
I On this system but little more than
| 26 per cent of the mileage has been
| paved, as has been stated before, and
| from the standpoint of low-type con-
| struction, little more than one-half of
the country's route mileage is even
graveled.
! The statement has been made that a
! more constructive piece of legislation
has never been passed by Congress than
the Federal highway act. Every new
turn In the Nations progress, so far as
relates TO domestic improvement, attests
the truth Of that statement. And now
/ comes this latest turn, wherein the road
building machinery of the country, as
set up under the Federal aid principle,
stands ready to render increased public
service, not only through more rapid
extension OF present highway tranSpor-
tation facilities, but in affording a
widened field for public employment.
Road building in the United States is
a going concern into which more cap
ital may be placed with assured safety
and profit to the public.
In the view Of the Presidents counsel
it is not to be anticipated that there is
going to be spending orgy. Those who
are well aware Of his insistence upon
following the blueprint" to the sue
cessful completion of any project under
taken see scant hope for the many
plans and expenditures of doubtful
value that are invariably offered in
times like the present. The expansion
Of the country's highway Transportation
facilities is to be conducted upon sane
basis.
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