Evening star., 1936-12-19
ROAD MAY GET AID
BY FUND CHANGES
Representative Seeks AlIo.
cation Shift to Improve
Old Georgetown Route.

BETHESDA, Md, December ia
bill to change the ALLEGATION of State
road funds, which would provide
money to widen and reSurface the
Old Georgetown road, will be sup
ported In the next meeting of the
State Legislature by Miss Ruth E.
Shoemaker. Montgomery County Rep
resentative.
Miss Shoemaker described the pres
ent system of allocating funds, which
is based upon the mileage in each
county in 1910, as "antiquated" and
in need of change to give fair dis
tribution of road funds to counties,
including or near large metropolitan
centerS.
A more modern method OF alloca-
tion, now in use in many States. she
explained, is to allot road funds in
proportion to the amount of taxes
collected in each county or, in effect,
to permit each county to retain a Ger.
tain proportion of the funds it coli
lects.
Disparity Is illustrated.
To illustrate the disparity which
the present system brings about, Miss
Shoemaker cited the example Of Car
roll County, which has population
of only about $4,000, as compared to
$4,000 in Montgomery County and
about 10 square miles less area. yet
received in 1885 more than $l44,000
for lateral roads, as compared with
1922 900 for Montgomery County. She
declared:
When We see that Carroll County
and others in the State have smaller
population, smaller area and smaller
road mileage than Montgomery Coun-
ty, yet receive more money for roads,
we can appreciate how this antiquated
system of apportioning road money
needs revising"
Miss Shoemaker outlined plan
of cooperating with the Baltimore
delegation in the Legislature to secure
reorganization of the present Sys-
tenn because of a similarity of inter-
eStS.
Washington is only one OF the
cities which is faced with this prob
lem of securing money for much
needed improvements in its road sys-
tenn" Miss Shoemaker pointed out.
THE Old Georgetown road Is one
of the outstanding examples of the
need for additional funds for this sec
tion. which deserves to secure more
funds by virtue of its paying a larger
tax bill.
with more money. We will be able
to eliminate the hazards which per-
sons who live in this area or travel
the road frequently know exist. and
only by continually pressing our de-
mands can We secure what we want"
Increase in Doubt.
The Old Georgetown road would
have to be widened and resurfaced
with funds allotted from the State
road fund. but what the increase
would be for Montgomery County, If
the present system Of alloca ton we're
changed to the proposed method. Miss
Shoemaker was not prepared to esti-
mate.
The county retains y cents of the
gasoline tax for lateral roads. or about
s125,000 this year, while the State re-
ceives about $166,0O0 from its 2-cent
share Of the same tax. A change in
the ALLEGATION would mean about $685.
600 more for Montgomery County. all
to be used for lateral roads, Miss
Shoemaker estimated. How much
more of the States share Montgomery
County would get she was unable to
say, except it would be considerable.
She is investigating that phase Of
the question with a view to enlisting
support in the legislative effort.
Both Miss Shoemaker and Joseph
A. Cantrel. another of the Montgom-
cry delegation in the State Legisla-
ture, expressed qualification at the
prospective visit here of Chief En-
gineer Nathan L. Smith of the Mary
land Roads Commission, and an
nounced that they would welcome the
opportunity to confer with him on the
Old Georgetown road project, which
he is coming here to study.
He has been reported favorably dis
posed toward plans for improving the
road, in order to eliminate traffic haz.
ards and eliminate traffic congestion
caused by the heavy trafic.