Evening star., 1941-11-21
President Approves
Roads Bill, but Hits
Its Pork Sections
Accepts View Priorities
Might Be Used to Block
Non-Defense Jobs
BY JOHN c. HENRY.

BY JOHN c. HENRY.
President Roosevelt today ap-
proved a s487 900 900 public high
ways authorization measure, but
qualified his approval with a sharp
criticism of pork barrel sections
attached to the measure.
Speeded through Congress to clear
the way for construction of essential
defense highways and certain air
craft flight strips, the measure also
carried authorizations for S50000.-
600 in highway and bridge projects
to be apportioned all over the coun-
try, for off-street parking facilities,
for repair reimburSementS to States
and for use of Federal funds in
building secondary or feeder roads.
Announcing his reluctant approval
of the omnibus bill. the President
dispatched his criticism in Identical
letters to Senator McKellar of Ten
nessee and Representative Cart
wright of Oklahoma. Democratic
sponsors of the legislation in Con-
gress.
Savings Could Have Been Made.
At press conference, Mr.. Roose-
welt declared that passage of the
authorization bill was a clear eX
ample of a case where emergency
savings could have been made but
were not. Provisions of the legiSla-
ton are mandatory in their allocat-
ing requirements, he said, which
prevents diversion of the funds from
non defense to defense projects
alone.
Reminded by reporter that Gov
ernment control over essential ma
terials might provide means for
blocking the non-defense jobs, the
President acknowledged that this is
a worthwhile thought and advised
an aide to take due note OF 1t.
The Chief Executive, in his letter
to the congressional leaders, ex-
pressed q hope that the Congress
might still eliminate from the leg
islation authorizations which do not
represent immediate defense re-
quirementS.
SUInc INoduS ->SCuCu' AJVhhS -Fos'
After noting that both the Secre-
tary of War and Secretary of Navy
had indorsed the urgent defense
need for construction Of access roads
to military and naval reservations
and defense industry sites, and for
the construction of flight strips, the
President added:
"As to the other authorizations
IN the bill. I am advised by the
Secretaries of War and Navy that
they consider them of only sec
ondary importance. l concur In the
view ."
Specifying the items to which
he objected, Mr.. Roosevelt wrote:
The authorization Of S50,OOO,-
600 for the so-called strategic net
work of highways and bridges does
not represent - an immediate
defense need. Moreover. one-half
of the amount authorized would
be apportioned among all the States
in accordance with the distribution
formula of the Federal Highway
Act; a formula that disregards what
should be the sole objective of this
legislation, that of providing high
way construction in those areas, and
in those areas only, where there Is
immediate need of such construction
in the interest of our national de-
fense.
L. S. Must Provide IS Per Cent.
Not only does this authorize
ton provide for the expenditure OF
s25,OO0.O0O regardless of immediate
defense needs, but it requires the
Federal Government to contribute
IS per cent and the States 25 per
cent of the cost of such highways
and bridges, as against the exist
ing Highway Act provisions for an
equal sharing of the cost OF such
construction.
The authorization also permits
the expenditure on such highways
and bridgeS-With the Federal Gov
eminent paying IS per cent of the
cost-of any funds heretofore or
hereafter made available for the
Federal highway system, ''' the
amount of such funds at the present
time being, I am advised, approx
mately S267 100000
THE remaining authorizations for
off-street parking facilities, reim-
bursement to States for repairs to
roads under certain operating con-
ditions, and surveys and plans fail
to find, I think, satisfactory justifi-
cation for enactment upon any
ground that they are Immediately
required in the interest of national
Defense
Although the legislation authorizes
new appropriations of only S22O,-
100000, the section permitting ex-
penditures from an existing fund
of s267,0OOO0O brings the gross total
for the bill tn S487 600 600