Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-03-03

However, although Spring n
minds of the road builders.
Benefits to motorists and the coun-
try in general almost beyond COM
prehension are offered in the work
that can be done Immediately by
State highway departments, accord
ing to reports of States recently pub
lished by the American Association of
State Highway Officials.
More Safety Seen.
These benefits would accrue in in
creased safety to motorists and
pedestrians. in savings in motor We
hicle driving costs, in. the relief of
congestion and in widespread employ
ment and distribution of wages, &C
cording to the association.
State highway departments can i'm
mediately begin work on projects cost
ing s7OO,oo00O0. Other work that can
be launched within year swells the
total to ,700000,000.
The projects include 9,727 safety
structures, 4,058 rail-highway grade
separations, 1926 requirements of
weak and narrow bridges and 343
highway grade separations.
Then are listed 1912 highway con-
struction and reconstruction projects
and l,739 projects of construction
and reconstruction of trunk lines
through cities and city by-passes.
However, the volume of work that
will be undertaken is largely de-
pendent upon the extent to which the
Federal Government provides aid. &C
cording to the association.
Usually State highway departments
have less than half of the income
from State license fees and gas taxes
available for new construction. This
is because of requirements for high
way maintenance, bond payments and
so on.
Public road construction has
created employment faster than any
other type of work, according to a
recent report Of Secretary Ickes. For
this reason highways should be given
a major consideration in the impend-
ing public works program, the high
way officials association believes.
The amendment to the S4,00O,000,-
600 public works bill now before the
Senate of the United States, proposed
by Senator Hayden. very definitely
plans for Federal funds to meet the
projects as outlined by the States.
While this amendment defers to the
President the ALLEGATION of anv def
mite amount of money. it provides for
distribution of these funds for high
way projects and railroad grade
crossings on a basis. that is fair and
equitable to all of the States and will
provide for immediate undertaking of
these thousands of projects.
Efficiency Held Need.
Highway work is also the subject of
oil men at the present time.
Hope for economic recovery in this
country lies not in increasing taxation,
but in better organization and man
agement of the machinery of gov
eminent, in the elimination of dupli-
eating efforts and excessive appropri-
ations, and in making wiser use Of
credit" Baird H. Markham, director
of the American Petroleum Industries
Committee, said in an article pub
lished in the February issue of The
Southwestern Banker.
Taking as his subject. Efficient
Highway Policies Can Relieve Tax
Burdens" Director Markham outlined
the growth of taxes for highways to
excessive rates and costs. followed by
the use of the revenue for other pur-
poses and the threatened disruption
of highway systems for which tax
payers paid and still are paying.
iefr 80 hi l,x
policies and the expenditure of high
way funds provide splendid oppor-
tunity for demonstration of govern
mental efficiency and economy" Mr..
Markham said. Highways are needed
Revenue is available. Local labor and
materials can be used. If highways
were properly planned and built, it
might even be possible to reduce spe-
cial additional taxes, enabling citi-
zens more easily to pay other tax bills,
or even to enjoy the pleasure of
spending their own money. Further
more, If we built highways we could
afford. the greater part of their cost
would be borne by those who use them.
effectively relieving other taxpayers
and taxable assets.
This Is not at all a matter of ex-
tracing rabbits from hats. nor other
financial hocus pocus. 1t calls
for outstanding public service and
the subordination of political expedi-
ency to public need"
Twin Research Detectives.
Along the line of highways the ever
important subject of safety is stressed
by the Automobile Manufacturers
Association.
Greater safety on the highways and
the elimination of costly traffic con-
gestion are twin detectives of an ex-
banded program of highway research
being initiated at the Bureau for
Street Traffic Research at Harvard
University, it was announced today.
Reorganization and expansion of
the research activities of the univer-
sity's Bureau for Street Traffic Re-
search has been made possible through
a gift to the university by the Auto
mobile Manufacturers Association.
This contribution by the Automobile
Manufacturers Association indicates
that leaders of the motor industry
recognize the opportunities for i'm
proving the accident situation and
increasing the efficiency Of highway
transportation through the scientific
development of sound engineering and
administrative principles.
Solution of the traffic problems is
not simple" was the view expressed
today by Alfred Reeves, vice president
and general manager of the associa-
ton. However, our participation in
this new project may be regarded as
an expression of the industrys conf
dence that tangible results can be
produced through the development of
more scientific methods for the con-
struction of highways and the regu-
lation of motor traffic.
"Over a period of more than 10
years, the Harvard Bureau for Street
Traffic Research, under the excep-