Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 January 1917 — PRAISES FEDERAL ROAD ACT [ARTICLE]

PRAISES FEDERAL ROAD ACT

Secretary of Agriculture Houston Succinctly Points Out the MeritS' of Legislation. ' . Secretary of Agriculture Houston thus sUcginctly ppints out the meritSL of the Federal Aid road legislation approved July 11, 1916, under which Indiana will get Federal-Aid of $2,109,000, after its own highway departmentis established ——=— “Of no less importance for agriculture .-and for the national development is the Federal Aid Road Act, approved July 11, 1916. This measure will conduce to the establishment of more- effective highway machinery in each State, strongly influence the development of good road building along right lines, stimulate larger production and better marketing, pro- . mote a fuller and more attractive rural life, add greatly to the convenience and economic welfare of all the people, and strengthen the national foundations. “This bill' meets the requisites of sound legislation and practice. It provides for cooperation between the Federal and State government, and gives the people the advantage of the best thought of the experts of -both jurisdictions. It contemplates the expenditure within five years from Federal and*Sfete sources of $160,000,000 in the country at. .large and of $lO,000,000 additional out of the Federal treasury in the national forests. It will develop the requisite machinery for safe-guarding the expenditure of every dollar already provided by the people of the nation. It is estimated that at—present the equivalent of $225,000,000 is being expended for roads and it is also stated that perhaps 50 per cent of this is uneconomically expended. It may be confidently predicted that, as a result of the act, vast improvements. will be made in the expenditure of funds for roads and that the nation will have more ample guaranty that it will get its full value irt this direction.”