Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 102, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 May 1919 — WORK ON ROADS TO BE RUSHED [ARTICLE]

WORK ON ROADS TO BE RUSHED

Construction This Year to Exceed Volume of Any Year in History. LARGER FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE If All the States Take Advantage of Federal Appropriation $343,000,000 Will Be Expended—Freight Rates an Obstacle. Washington.-—Many important steps have been taken to expedite road construction under the enlarged program recently authorized by congress, and the indications are that a larger volume of highway’ construction will be accomplished this season than in any previous year in the history of the nation, according to a statement issued by David F. Houston, secretary of agriculture. The requisite official machinery, says the secretary, for executing this program—that is, the department of agriculture, through the bureau of public roads on the one hand and the 48 state highway the other —is already’ in existence. A conference was held by the secretary on March 1 w ith tire state highway commissioners of the Eastern and middle Western states, and all phases of the problem, and especially the interpretation of the liberal amendments of the federal aid road act, were considered. The appointment of Thomas H. MacDonald, chief engineer of the lowa strife high way commission, as engineer in Immediate charge df the work of the bureau of public roads under the federal aid road act, has just been announced by the secretary, and it is planned that. In the near future, Mr. MacDonald will formally assume the position of director of the bureau of public roads. Freight Rates an Obstacle. It developed at the conference that the present freight rates are one of the principal obstacles to the active resumption and extension of highway activities. The situation w-as laid before tAe proper officials of the railroad administration on March 1 by representatives of the department of agriculture and of the state highway officials.

They were given a sympathetic hearing, and the question is now under active consideration by the railroad administration. Secretary Houston also has taken up with the secretary of war the question of releasing from the army highway engineers in this country and abroad, in order that their services may be utilized during the coming road-construction season. The secretary's statement in part is as follows: , “During the war it was necessary to curtail road-construction Operations because of the difficulties of securing transportation, materials and the requisite services. Now that the situation has changed, the work will be actively resumed and vigorously prosecuted notwithstanding the fact that conditions are still abnormal in some respects, especially with reference to the prices of materials and supplies.

“Congress at its last session not only made available from the federal treasury large additional sums for road construction, but also made some important amendments to the federal aid road act. These amendments will have the effect of greatly lessening the difficulties of selecting and constructing needed roads. “The amount of federal funds available for road building on March 1 was over $72,000,000, which under the lawmust be matched by at least an equal amount from the states. More Funds July 1. “On July 1, $95,000,600 more of federal funds will become available for general road purposes and $4,000,000 for national forest roads, which, with equal contributions from the states, w-ill provide an additional $198,000,000 for federal aid road work, making an aggregate sum of $343,800,000 for the calendar year. “In other words, the 1919 program for federal aid road building is greater than any previous annual road building accomplishments in this country. “The states and their civil subdivisions also will carry on a large amount of road work without federal aid. The extent of this is uncertain and will depend upon local labor, industrial and agricultural conditions. The presen-t indications are that approximately $280,000,000 will be spent in this way. “The purpose of the federal aid road ■law is to encourage the construction of roads of a substantial nature by the states and to provide adequate safeguards for securing systematic and economical action. Long experience has show-n that the best results will be secured if the work is performed under the supervision of the state highway departments, the method of the control depending upon local conditions.”