The Ely miner., 1930-10-17
TRUNK HIGHWAYS
ARE 'POST-R0ADS"
OLD DEFINITION OF CONSTITU-
TIONAL TERM FITS NEEDS OF
TODAY-FEDERAL AID is EX-
PLAINED-INTERES INFOR-
NATION.

How the U. S. government came to
enter the road building field, and how
federal aid is distributed, are explained
in State Highway bulletin this week
The information may be interesting to
readers of The Miner, since federal aid
has done much to speed up highway
improvements in ST. Louis and other
counties.
Federal aid is appropriated under
the section of the Constitution author
izing Congress ITO establish post offices
and post roads," At the time the Con-
stitution was framed, a "poSt-road"
was understood to mean "a road over
which speed could be made, road
prepared for hasty travel with post
horses or post-chaise, a high road on
which stations are located where re-
lays of post-horses could be obtained" !"
The carrying of colonial mails had
nothing to do with the classification of
the road.
Under this provision a start was
made on system of national high
ways. The best known was the Cum
berland Trail, work on which was
started westward from Cumberland,
Md, in 1906, and suspended in 1874,
when the road had reached Vandalia,
Illinois. Invention of the locomotive
led to the belief that roads were a
purely local concern, and the national
government gave road building no con-
Germ until 1893, when the Office of
Road Inquiry was created.
The name was changed to The Bur-
eau of Public Roads, but it was purely
research agency until 1912, when a
federal aid appropriation of 100000
was made. In 1916, $85, 100000 was ap-
propriated, to cover five year pro-
gram. In 1919, $2O0,O00,0OO was ap-
propriated for three year after-the-
war program. Appropriations of $780,
100000 to $75,o00,000 annually were
made until last spring, when Congress
increased the amount to 125,000,000 a
year.
The method of distribution is similar
to the allotment of the one-mill state
aid fund to the counties in Minnesota.
An allotment for the year is made by
the Secretary of Agriculture. The
State Highway department must then
| make an agreement with the govern
ment on each project. If location,
plans and specifications are approved,
sum sufficient to pay the govern
ment's share of the cost is set aside
The government does not advance any
money to the state, but reimburses the
state when the work is completed. The
Bureau maintains twelve branch Offices.
One of these is located in st. Paul with
E. o. Hathaway as district engineer in
charge. The district includes Mime
sofa, Wisconsin, North and South
Dakota.
The allotment to Minnesota for the
| year beginning July 1, 1880, was $3,-
| 504,977. A considerable part of this
has already been paid to the state as
| reimbursement on jobs completed this
summer. The allotment for the year
| beginning July l, 1881, was fixed re-
Gently at So, ACT ,306 The State High
way department is at present pre-
| pairing plans and obtaining approval
| projects on which part of the cost will
be reimbursed from next years ap-
preparation. Although the work may
start at any time when the state has
funds, no payments will be made from
next years appropriation until July.
| While federal aid is limited to the
main or trunk highways, it helps i'm
prove all the roads. Going into the
trunk highway fund with gas and
license fees, it relieves the counties OF
the cost of building the main roads
and permits them to use all their funds
on secondary roads.