Jasper County Democrat, Volume 21, Number 95, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 February 1919 — PUBLIC ROADS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

PUBLIC ROADS

ROAD WORK AWAITED PEACE

Small Amount Money Expended Because of Desire to Conserve Labor, Money and Transportation. (Prepared by the United States Department of Agriculture.) Although $14,550,000 was available for expenditure on the post roads from the federal aid road act, only $425,445 was paid from federal funds in the highway construction season of 1918 on all projects. The reason for this, according to the annual report of the secretary of, agriculture, was the steps taken to conserve money, labor, transportation and materials in highway work during the war, and at the same time tt> facilitate really essential highway projects. In connection with the federal aid road work, a letter was addressed to each state highway department asking that a program of federal aid construction he submitted at the earliest possible date, in which would be included only those projects which the state highway departments considered vitally necessary to the transportation facilities of the country. At the request of the capital issues committee, engineers of the department w 7 ere made available for inspecting and reporting upon proposed highway and irrigation and drainage bond issues. Inspections were made of 181 separate projects, involving total bond issues of $36,912,396. An arrangement was made with the fuel administration whereby highways of special importance should receive enough bituminous material to provide for adequate maintenance, ,and, where necessary, to permit construction and reconstruction. From May 13, 1918, when the co-operation became actively effective, until the close of the fiscal year, 2,235 applications, calling for 75,000,000 gallons of bituminous material, were received from states, counties and municipalities. Of this amount approval was given and permits were issued for 58,000,000 gallons. In order to co-ordinate the activities of various government agencies, so far as they relate to highways; better to conserve materials, transportation, money and labor; to eliminate delays and uncertainties, and to provide posi-

tive assista’:~« in carrying on vitally effective highway work, the secretary requested each of the government departments and administrations Interested to name a representative to serve on a council to deal with highway projects during the period of the war. As a result, the United States highways council, consisting of a representative from the department of agriculture, the war department, the railroad administration, the war industries board, and the fuel administration was formed it} June. During the first four months of its existence the council passed Upon about 5,000 applications, involving nearly 4,000,000 barrels of cement, 3,250,000 tops of stone, 1,140,000 tons of gravel, 1,207,000 tons Of sand. pVer 77.000.000 brick, and

nearly 20,000.000 pounds of steel, and 140,000,000 gallons of bituminous materials.

Truck Load of Hot Bituminous Concrete Being Dumped Ready to Be Placed on Surface.