to what extent you think your State or local authorities would be willing to cooperate with the Federal Government?

(3) On what character of roads should the amount appropriated by the Federal Government be used?

(4) Should the amount appropriated be limited to construction or maintenance, or be given jointly for construction and maintenance?

(5) To what extent, if aid is given, should there be Federal supervision?

(6) Submit a detailed plan workable for Federal and State cooperation in construction and maintenance.

We will appreciate it if you will send us a carefully prepared statement containing your views. Hoping to hear from you very soon, I am,

Yours, very truly,

JONATHAN BOURNE, Jr.,

Chairman.

The replies received are here presented, in the alphabetic order of the States in which the writers reside:

ARIZONA.

LAMAR COBB, STATE ENGINEER, PHOENIX, ARIZ.

(1) As to a genral plan upon which this Federal aid should be given.

A national highway commission of engineers, about nine in number, should be created to administer any Federal aid law.

In the selection of these commissioners the States of the Union should be subdivided into as many districts as there are members and one member appointed from each district. The districts should be of about the same size, considering population and area, as the controlling factors in so determining. The boundaries may be de-. fined in the law or the appointing power be directed to so district the Union.

This commission should be directed to act in conjunction with the highway departments or State engineers in the various States of the Union in the selection of national highways, upon which Federal aid is to be expended. And they should be directed to select such State units, as will coordinate into a national highway system. No State should receive aid until it has established a highway department.

The portion that each State should receive from an appropriation by Congress should be specified in the act, at least up to 75 per cent of the total. The balance could be carried as a general fund and expended wherever the commission should select. In making this apportionment the same factors, as suggested for the creation of commissioners' districts, should be the controlling ones, viz, population and area.

The law should be general in its provisions, giving the commission the greatest latitude in the disbursement of the funds, but making the apportionment fixed, to insure fair treatment to all States. The details as to the exact procedure in the selection of national highways, approval of plans, estimates, etc., should be left entirely to the commission to work out. It is sufficient that they be compelled to

reach an agreement with the State highway authorities before the expenditure, in any amount, can be made, except in the case of main

tenance.

The present Office of Public Roads should be placed under the commission.

(2) To what extent the plan should require the State or local authorities to contribute to the amount of money appropriated, and to what extent you think your State or local authorities would be willing to cooperate with the Federal Government?

The States should contribute 50 per cent of the cost of construction. I believe Arizona would cooperate to the fullest extent.

(3) On what character of roads should the amount appropriated by the Federal Government be used?

Only on main through routes outside of incorporated cities and towns.

(4) Should the amount appropriated be limited to construction or maintenance or be given jointly for construction and maintenance?

For construction only, but the commission should be so empowered that it can compel maintenance. If maintenance is neglected in any State the commission should have funds at their disposal to immediately make the necessary expenditures. This is of prime importance, as such neglect may be due to lack of appropriation by the State legislature, which could not be remedied before great damage had been done. Further aid could be withheld to insure the return of the amount expended.

(5) To what extent, if aid is given should there be Federal supervision?

Both of construction and maintenance.

(6) Submit a detailed plan workable for Federal and State cooperation in construction and maintenance.

This is covered by my answer to question (1).

In conclusion, I beg to say should Congress decide to enter upon the construction of national highways, jointly with all the States, it should be borne in mind that the first appropriation will be small as compared to what will inevitably follow, therefore an organization to administer a Federal aid law should be provided that would meet the requirements both of the present and the future, and in my humble opinion only through the medium of a commission selected from the various sections of the country can such a result be obtained.

COLORADO.

J. E. YOUNGQUIST, SURVEYOR MORGAN COUNTY, FORT MORGAN, COLO.

In regard to questions (1) and (2) will say that I think the Government should appropriate a certain amount in or for each State, said appropriation to be distributed by the State highway commission of each State. In case there is no State highway commission in certain States, then the amount should be left, or may be left, with some State official who is familiar with conditions throughout the State he represents. (We have a State highway commission in our State and the members are quite familiar with all the through roads.)

(3) I think the amount appropriated by the Government should be used on all through roads throughout the State.

(4) Will say that the amount appropriated ought to be used for both construction and maintenance.

(5) I think it would be a good idea for the Federal engineer or supervisor to confer with the State highway commission, or if there be no highway commission, confer with the State official who has or will have charge of the amount appropriated, and they could confer with the various county officials.

L. K. DIETERICH, LYONS, COLO.

(1) Create an educational system on construction and maintenance of roads, bridges, culverts, etc. Employ none but those who can pass the required examinations, the same as on railroads. Test all materials required, bringing them up to a certain standard. Do away with all contract work after you have the organization of road work complete, say 10 or 15 years. Build up the system in such a way that young men would make it a study, giving them the benefits of the construction profits, and make it an honorable and highclass profession.

(2) The State and Federal authorities should contribute only where expensive work would be required.

(3) On post roads, national roads, and national bridges.

(4) The amount appropriated should include maintenance as well as construction, provided, however, favorable localities to the project would maintain the roads in time to come.

(5) Federal supervision should be given in construction and maintenance throughout.

(6) First, there should be a law or laws devoid of all red tape, creating a system that would be what the construction of the Panama Canal and other projects of the Government demonstrate. However, I would not advise placing the roads under any other department. Make it exclusive.

C. W. BEACH, CIVIL ENGINEER, LAS ANIMAS.

(1) Federal aid should be given in connection with State and local aid.

(2) State and local authorities should contribute 66 per cent or 75 per cent of total cost. I think our local authorities would be willing to contribute 333 per cent, State 333 per cent, and if Federal Government would contribute 333 per cent the plan would result in many new roads being built.

(3) In this country money should be spent on good macadam roads, on through routes, leaving local authorities to construct and maintain branch lines.

(4) Amount appropriated jointly for construction and maintenance, as roads soon go to pieces unless properly maintained, and local authorities are not yet educated to properly maintaining country roads.

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(5) Federal supervision should be limited to approval of plans, routes, and final acceptance of completed work, leaving details and letting of contracts and supervision of work to local authorities.

(6) Any general plan embodying above suggestions. I think Federal aid should be limited to a few well-defined national routes, which will accommodate interstate travel.

CONNECTICUT.

JAMES H. MACDONALD, STATE HIGHWAY COMMISSIONER, HARTFORD.

One member of your committee, Representative Shackleford, has reached out toward that which, in my judgment, is a very essential and necessary thing to do and will meet with the most popular favor-perhaps not in the higher walks of life or from the tourist's point of view, but in the opinion of the great mass of toilers the farmers these men who have made this great country of ours what it is to-day. In dividing this money and sending it out all over the country where it will do the most good our first duty, it would seem to me, should be to take care of the roads that will enable the farmer to have good highways from their farms to their nearest and best market place; but immediately we are confronted with the vastness of the undertaking and the numerous interests the United States Government has under its fostering care demanding attention and requiring funds. However, no matter how great or how small the national appropriation may be we can not lose sight of the great arteries, the trunk lines into which these feeder roads ultimately will discharge the travel.

To meet popular approval a bill will have to be drawn, in my judgment, that will not deny either the trunk lines or the tributary roads their proportion of whatever appropriation is made by the United States Government; nor, in my judgment, can

drawn to receive popular support that will specialize or restrict in any way the distribution of Federal aid for highway construction upon any one particular class of trunk lines. In other words, a bill. to meet popular approval should call for a division of the money upon two or three classes of roads, as follows:

CLASS NO. 1.-The great arteries running through and into other States, but not distorted, nor in obedience to any political arrangement, but embracing as far as possible, in a direct course, the principal cities east and west and north and south; having as many of these direct trunk lines as the committee may consider wise under a general plan carefully thought out before commencing to extend Federal aid, or as the exigencies of the case may suggest and money can be had to extend the work.

CLASS NO. 2.-The intertown roads-commonly called main highways connecting a town with adjoining towns-running through the several States and having a direct connection with these main trunks.

CLASS No. 3.-The side, or feeder, roads leading into the intertown roads, and they, in turn, leading into the great trunk lines.

This would take care of the great trunk lines carrying the great burden of business as well as the pleasure traffic; and also would provide for the question of the rural free delivery roads; also connect the farms with their nearest and best market places.

This plan would comprehend the States taking up the question of an appropriation for trunk lines exclusively, to be married to that which would be contributed by the National Government, but no contribution to be required from the townships through which these trunk lines pass nor from the individual abutting owner-making it purely a trunk lines appropriation on the part of the State and the National Government. One-third or possibly one-half of the amount appropriated should be devoted to this class of roads.

For the improvement of the second class of roads the intertown highways-the National Government should contribute one-half of the amount, the State one-fourth, and the county or township onefourth.

The third class of roads would involve more the question of repairs, in reducing grades, putting in a proper system of drainage, straightening the road, giving additional width and relieving miry conditions. This class of roads would receive a certain amount per mile, to be named in the bill; one-half to be given by the United States Government, one-fourth by the State government, and onefourth by the township through which the roads run.

',

Here in Connecticut we have a very peculiar condition of affairs; that is, in regard to the conduct of the work and the distribution of the money. We commenced operations some 18 years ago. We had a small appropriation of $75,000 for the entire State. This was to be divided among the several towns in pro rata amounts on the basis of one-third State, one-third county, and one-third town, but no town was to receive in any one year more than $3,000. This law was amended so that the money appropriated by the State was to be divided in accordance with the grand list or grand levy-of the several towns. In other words, the county provision was eliminated so that the distribution was direct to the towns and the appropriation was made between the State and the town in which the work was done. Under this arrangement the smaller towns were given a larger share of the money. That is to say, the towns financially strong were given one-half up to a maximum amount of $3,000, while the poor towns were given three-fourths of the appropriation up to $3,000. The basis of award was the financial strength of the town and not its mileage of roads. This would be more in accord with Representative Shackleford's idea. This plan has worked so successfully that while Connecticut has the largest mileage of roads per area in the United States-the area being 5,004 square miles and the roads aggregating 15,000 miles, with a grand list of a little over $900,000,000-through the influence of this arrangement and the division of the money along the lines suggested in the first part of this communication that two years ago we secured an appropriation of $4,500,000.

Now, if this can be done in Connecticut under this plan of helpfulness, why not adopt a similar plan for the entire country?

The State now has a system of 14 trunk lines upon which we are at work. These trunk lines, with their ramifications, extend into and out from 132 towns out of the total of 168 towns in the State and drain a population of 850.000. So that the general plan to be thought cut, in my judgment, should comprehend something along similar lines.