The Lexington advertiser. [volume] (Lexington, Miss.) 1904-1985, 1948-07-22

Federal aid support in road-build-
ing will make it possible for States,
cities and all local governments to
build more highways and fix up the
old highways this year
The Government has guaranteed
5000, 900, 900 as its part in support
of road building efforts.
There are more new cars and
trucks than there are good highways
for them to use. The real responsible
lily for caring for the highways
seems to rest principally with the
States.
Federal grants in support of high
ways started about l9l3-and high
way building has been booming ever
since. There is no sign of a let-up.
During the last two years highway
construction was slowed down be-
cause of shortages in materials, high
cost. and the money needed to re-
pair local roads and streets. Believe
it or not, approximately S1,500.000,-
900 will be spent on highways in
194S and even more than that next
year.
The reason the Government has
to chip in so large a share for the
building of highways is a long. long
story. No motorist need be told that
taxes and restrictions placed upon
his automobile have pretty near
reached the sky limit. That explains
why millions of motorists are object
ing to high gasoline sales taxes at
the service stations.
All other matters laid aside, the
fact remain that the steady increase
in the volume of traffic has piled
up accidents on the highways at
a terrific rate. That has increased
the necessity of more roads and
highways to lower traffic congestion.
1t is a fact that the cost of build
ing highways in 1910 was $4,000
mile while in 1948 the cost has risen
to $4,000 a mile.
To And From The Form
The postwar increase in the farm
population of the United States
slowed down during 1947. The num-
Der of people living on farms in
January 1948 was 27,440,000, not APP
preciably different from the number
a year earlier Net migration OF
civilians from farms to nonfarm
places amounted to $4,000 in l947
Nearly a million persons are
estimated to have moved on to farms
from cities, towns, and villages dur
ing the year, whereas more than a
million and a half moved away from
farms.
Electrifying The Forms
Operators of rural power systems
financed by the Rural Identification
Administration purchased at whole
sale the unprecedented total of
1882, 267,051 kilowatt-hours of cleo
trio energy during the fiscal year
ending June 80, 1947. the Department
of Agriculture announced. This re-
rd-breaking amount of energy
cost $26,909,545 or an average OF 81
mills per kilowatt-hours.
King Cotton
The Department of Agriculture
that the cotton export
program is being continued. The
current export subsidy rate of 10
cents per bale also will remain in eff
feet with respect to notices of sale
received by the New Orleans office
of PIMA after June 80, 1913.
More Money For Taxes
Thon For Food
Do you remember old boy and
girl, when Thomas B. Reed, Speaker
OF the House of Representatives,
long years ago declared that the rea-
son why the 51st Congress appro-
priated a billion dollars for the first
time was because "the United States
has become a billion dollar coun-
try!"
The cost of Government this fis-
cal year, despite miles of speeches
advocating so-called reduction OF
the cost of Government" is forty
times the simple billion dollars that
Thomas B. Reed explained in Con-
gress.
An Illinois Congressman produced
figures in a speech the other day
showing that President Truman's
budget of $39-billion dollars is TAX
ing more out of the pockets of the
people for taxes than they spend ,
for food. Representative Vursell
passed the buck to Truman at the
same time the President laid all the
ills and evils of extravaganza on the
CONGRESS /
Well, my reader the cause OF
all this waste of public money is
traceable to just one word-that
word is WAR. If we ever have sense
enough to sidetrack WAR the peo-
pie of this country will enjoy living
on easy street, without robbing their
savings to get enough money to buy
food and clothes.
Cause And Effect
The security, prosperity and we'll
being of Americans Importantly de-
pend on the efficient production OF
Ap,arioan industry. There are three |