Evening star., 1936-03-10
D. c. IS EXCLUDED
FROM ROAD FUND
Federal Aid for Highways
Is Denied Under Hay
den Measure.
BY ]. A. O'LEARY.

The District of Columbia. which has
participated for only about two years
in Federal aid highway allotments,
again would be left out of that form
OF Government assistance extended to
the States under the bill just intro
duced in Congress from resumption of
the normal Federal aid highway pro-
gram.
Although the new bill includes the
National Capital along with the States
in future grants for railroad grade
crossing work. this will be a compar-
atively small factor, since the District
has only few remaining grade cross
ings, and the elimination of two OF
those already has been authorized by
other legislation.
Study Reveals Exclusion.
Exclusion of the District from the
highway features came to light to-
day following detailed study OF the
new measure, which was introduced
by Senator Hayden in the Senate and
Representative Cartwright in tine
House. This development comes on
the heels of the action of the House
last week in chopping 100000 from
tn Federal share of the regular an
nual upkeep of the Capital city for
next year, in the District appropria-
ton bill This cut from $500, 600
to $2,700,000 will be considered by the
Senate Subcommittee on District Ap-
preparations when it starts hearings
probably next week.
The Federal Government began
back in 1915 granting funds to match
State expenditures in the building OF
main highways across the country
For approximately II years this Fed
eral aid was distributed to the States,
but not to the District of Columbia
During the recent depression Con-
gress temporarily discontinued the
matching requirement for the States
and made outright grants for high
way work as one form of creating re-
lief work.
District Received Share.
The District of Columbia was per-
mitted for the first time to share in
these emergency highway allotments.
Senator Hayden said today the Dis
trict was included in the recent en-
ergency program because Of the un-
employment problem. The normal
Federal aid program, he said, is
primarily for the building OF roads,
rather than city streets. The District
is included under the grade crossings
he explained. because that is a new
feature of the normal program and
does not call for matching of funds.
The new bill would authorize a
total of s236,00O 900 for distribution
during 1893 and similar amount for
1889. OF this annual total. $125, ,000,-
600 would be the Federal share for
distribution to the States. for high
ways and from which the District is
left out. For grade crossing grants
in which the District would share. the
annual allotment is to be $50, ,000. 900
for the entire country. The remainder
of the total is made up of allotments
for feeder roads, forest trails In the
States and for road work in national
parks and Indian reservations.
Hearings to Be Held.
The fact that the District did not
share In the Federal aid highway
program and in certain other forms
Of Federal aid to the States, except
during the temporary depression
emergency, is one of the factors resi-
gress to take into consideration in
the past in determining what would
be fair percentage for the Federal
Government to pay for expenses of
running the National Capital.
Hearings on the new Federal aid
highway measure are expected to be
held soon by q House committee.