Evening star., 1933-05-28
The D. C. and Highway Aid.

citizens have contendeu, tne DlStiiee VI
Columbia should be included with the
States in receiving some share OF the
Sam GOO. 900 fund to be distributed Tor
the building of public roads and max
ing Improvements in connection with
such work The authorization OF this
fund is found in section 2o4 OF the
hill, "to encourage national industrial
recovery. to foster fair competition, and
IN provide for the construction Of GER
tain useful public works, and for other
nurposes." which passed the House on
Friday.
Examination of the purpose Of the
bill as q whole, as well as OF some OF
its other specific provisions, might allow
the conclusion that the omission OF the
District from sharing these Federal
bounties under section 204 was the
result of accident, rather than Of any
fair weighing of the arguments for and
against including the District. The
Senate hearings on this bill are now
under way, and Senators have gra-
ciously promised to hear, tomorrow,
the arguments of representatives OF the
Board of Trade and others who are In
terested in having the District in
cluded
The broad purpose Of the bill, which
Is epitomi8ed in the title quoted above,
is to create employment. The citizens
of the District of Columbia, as the
ritizens of any American municipality,
are, of course, entitled to share in such
benefits. The bill recognizes this by
including the District with the States
entitled to loans or advances from the
Federal Government for employment
creating public works. But the District
is omitted under section 204, relating
to highway construction, possibly be-
cause the District has not been per-
mitted to share in the hundreds of
millions of dollars that have been dis
tributed to the States under the Fed
eral highway act as amended November
o, 1921, and as subsequently amended.
But it will be recognized immediate
ly that the highway advances author
ized under this new bill are only dis
tantly related to the normal bounties
which have been made available to the
States under the highway act. These
are emergency, extraordinary, appro-
priations cf public money for the spe-
cif1c purpose of helping to create en-
ployment. The bars established by the
highway act are lowered. The principle
Of Federal aid in proportion to State
expenditures is abandoned. The money
to be spent is an outright gift, not con-
tingent on like expenditure by the
States. The principle of building Fed
eral highways" alone is also abandoned.
The roads to be built with this money
need not be Federal highways, as they
have been understood under the high
way act. The whole business is meant
to create work. And there is certainly
demand, locally, for the creation of
work, as well as for the extension and
improvement of certain highways in
the District that are more properly
Federal than local.
This bill permits Federal money to be
spent on extending Federal highways
into and through municipalities" The
act of 1921, however, allowed no such
extension through towns Of more than
$500 population, or where the houses
were less than 200 feet apart. This
bill permits the expenditure of Federal
money to pay "all or any part of the
cost of highway construction" while
the act of 1921 limits such expenditures
in proportion to State expenditures
This bill permits money to be used for
= various collateral improvements, such as
construction of footpaths and new
routes to avoid congestion, that were
not possible under the highway legisla-
ton. 1t allows for the construction of
feeder roads" TO be agreed upon by
the State highway departments and the
Secretary of Agriculture, while the
Highway act puts the cost of such prof.
ects OF the States. It brcedens the prin-
ciple of distributing the funds, and in
stead of giving eqU0 weight to the
elements of area, mileage of post roads
and population, emphasizes the element
OF population. In other words, the bill
is an emergency measure. It's provisions
should equitably be made to extend tc
the District of Columbia, which is OBJ
NousIy entitled to the benefits that are
therein conferred to the Stetes.
The States have benefited, Of course
by earlier departures from the highway
act. In 1880 the States were giver
$50 900 900 for highway work as extraor'
dinary employment-creating aid. ane
we're allowed to utilize this money a!
part OF the State funds, appropriated
m oroer to OBTAIN highway aid undel
the regular Federal allotments. 1r
1882 this grant was increased t.
sl2l 100000. The States have ais,
been given the privilege of borrowin;
from the r. F. C. for relief and of re-
paying these funds out of their Fedora
highway advances. The District sharet
in none of these bounties and priv
ileges. And In the meantime the orig
inal conception of Federal participa
ton, through Federal contribution Il
the District bill, in developing ant
maintaining the nationally -planne'
highways of the Capital has beel
blurred beyond recognition and by re
cent happenings, first by the provision
for highway maintenance and develop
ment, through the local gasoline tar
which the Federal Government doe
not pay, and, second, through tn
steady reduction Of the lump sum to