Highways and Highway Transportation by George R. Chatburn

bill, namely, “the term ‘rural post road’ shall be construed to mean any public road over which the United States mails now are or may hereafter be transported, excluding every street and road in a place having a population, as shown by the latest available federal census, of two thousand five hundred or more, except that portion of any such street or road along which the houses average more than two hundred feet apart.” For the purpose of carrying out the provisions of the act there was appropriated for the fiscal years ending June 30, 1917, the sum of $5,000,000; 1918, $10,000,000; 1919, $15,000,000; 1920, $20,000,000; 1921, $25,000,000. After deducting the amount necessary for administration not exceeding 3 per cent, the remaining amount available was to be distributed as follows: “One-third in the ratio which the area of each State bears to the total area of all the States; one-third in the ratio which the population of each State bears to the total population of all the States as shown by the latest available Federal census; one-third in the ratio which the mileage of rural delivery routes and star routes in each State bears to the total mileage of rural delivery routes and star routes in all the states.” The Secretary of Agriculture is to approve only projects which are substantial in character. Items of engineering, inspection and unforeseen contingencies may not exceed 10 per cent of the estimated cost. The share paid by the Government shall not exceed 50 per cent of the total cost. The same act appropriated $10,000,000 for the survey, construction and maintenance of roads and trails within the national forests when necessary to develop the resources upon which communities within and adjacent to the national forests are dependent. The Secretary of Agriculture issued September 1, 1916, a set of rules and regulations for carrying out the Federal-Aid Road Act.[157] These are quite detailed and require a close supervision by the Office of Public Roads and Rural Engineering, the Director of which or other officers and employees designated by him, was officially appointed to represent the Secretary of Agriculture in its administration. These rules explain and relate specifically to definitions of terms; information to be furnished the Secretary; project statements; surveys, plans, specifications and estimates; project agreements; contracts; construction work and labor; records and cost keeping; payments; submission of documents to the Office of Public Roads. A State, County or District making application for aid must present a Project Statement “to enable the Secretary to ascertain (_a_) whether the project conforms to the requirements of the act; (_b_) whether adequate funds, or their equivalent, are or will be available by or on behalf of the State for construction; (_c_) what purpose the project will serve and how it correlates with other highway work of the State; (_d_) the administrative control of, and responsibility for, the project; (_e_) the practicability and economy of the project from an engineering and construction standpoint; (_f_) the adequacy of the plans and provisions for proper maintenance of roads; and (_g_) the approximate amount of Federal aid desired.” Also there must be submitted for approval forms of contract, with documents referred to in them, and the contractor’s bond. Likewise maps of surveys, plans, specifications and estimates, showing quantity and cost shall have the approval of the Secretary. The state shall provide the rights of way and railroad grade crossings shall be avoided where practicable. A project agreement between the State Highway Department and the Secretary is executed. It must also be shown that adequate means either by advertising or other devices were employed, prior to the beginning of construction, to insure economical and practical expenditures, and rules for submitting and tabulating bids are given. Samples of the materials to be used must be submitted for approval whenever requested, and all materials, unless otherwise stipulated, must be tested prior to use by the standard methods of the Office of Public Roads. Supervision shall include adequate inspection. Reports of progress, records and cost accounts must be kept in approved manner. Many states in order to take advantage of the Federal aid within the time stipulated by the Act have, as has been shown, issued long-time bonds. Others have relied on increased taxation, and many require abutting property to pay a special tax for improvements. The success of the Act was extremely marked. So much so that the Post Office Appropriation act of February 28, 1919,[158] carried an amendment to the original Federal Aid Act providing an additional appropriation of $200,000,000 for post roads and $9,000,000 for forest roads. Fifty million dollars of the post road fund was made immediately available and $75,000,000 was made available for each of the fiscal years of 1920 and 1921. Of the forest road fund $3,000,000 was made available for each of the fiscal years 1919, 1920 and 1921. This bill transferred to the Secretary of Agriculture all available war material and equipment suitable for use in the improvement of highways for distribution to the several states on a value basis the same as provided in the Federal Aid Act of 1916. Under this provision trucks, road equipment, and road materials having when new a value of over $100,000,000 had been distributed by November 1, 1919. SELECTED REFERENCES ANDERSON, ANDREW P., “Highways,” _American Year Book_, 1918, pp. 317-321; 1919, pp. 308-311. D. Appleton & Company, New York. “Bonds for Highway Improvement,” Office of Public Roads Bulletin No. 136, U. S. Dept of Agr. _Boston Transcript_, Letter by a foreign visitor giving her opinion of American Roads. Aug. 10, 1892. BURROUGH, EDWARD, “State Aid to Road Building in New Jersey,” Office of Public Road Inquiry Bulletin No. 9, 1894. Dept. of Agriculture, Washington. CHATBURN, GEORGE R., “Highway Engineering,” pp. 125-126, John Wiley & Sons, New York. _Congressional Record._--Good Roads Resolution introduced in the Senate by Senator Manderson, Vol. XXIV, pp. 157, 261, 300. Introduced in the House by Representative Lewis, Vol. XXIV, p. 883. CONROW, CLAYTON, “Inside History of the State Aid Law,” Report of the New Jersey Commissioner of Public Roads, 1900, p. 81. Department of Agriculture Year Book, 1900, p. 522. Federal Aid Road Law, History of, _Congressional Record_, Vol. LIII, 1916. The Federal Aid road bill, the one that was finally passed and became the most effective road law the world has ever known, had a history in Congress that would make a large volume in itself. The pages of the _Congressional Record_ where it may be found follow: House Roll 7617--To provide that the United States shall aid the States in the construction of rural post roads, and for other purposes--was introduced by Mr. Dorsey W. Shackleford, of Missouri, January 6, 1916 and referred to the Committee on Roads, 637.--Reported back (H. Rept. 26), 746.--Debated, 1131, 1165, 1234, 1269, 1285, 1353-1368, 1373-1408, 1451-1480, 1516-1537 (Appendix, 21, 36, 141, 157, 160, 162, 172, 177, 178, 188, 203, 207, 208, 209, 211, 213, 214, 216, 218, 593, 1273, 2247).--Amended and passed house January 25, 1916, Ayes 283, Noes 81, Present 3, not voting 67, 1536, 1547.--Referred to Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, 1551.--Motion for change of reference debated, 2049-2057, 2329-2335.--Reference changed to Committee on Post Offices and Post Roads, 2334, 2335.--Reported with amendments (S. Rept. 250), 3460, 3881.--Debated, 6425-6433, 6494-6504, 6532-6549, 6565-6585, 6731, 6782-6785, 6840-6849, 6897-6899, 7119-7127, 7225-7228, 7291-7300, 7414, 7451, 7456-7465, 7499-7518, 7560-7571.--Amended and passed Senate unanimously, May 8, 1916, 7571.--Referred to House Committee on Roads--Reported back (H. Rept. 732), 8357.--House disagrees to Senate amendments and asks for a conference, 8749.--Senate insists on its amendments and agrees to a conference, 8783.--Conference appointed, 8749, 8783.--Conference report (S. Doc. No. 474) made in Senate, 9964.--Conference report unanimously agreed to in Senate June 27, 1916, 10086.--Conference report (No. 856) made in House. 10171.--Conference report debated in House, 10162-10173 (Appendix, 1316, 1318, 1334, 1340, 1360, 1361, 1647, 1719, 1724, 1793, 1860, 2082).--Conference report agreed to in House, June 28, 1916, by a vote of 181 ayes to 53 noes, 10173.--Examined and signed, 10348, 10371.--Presented to the President, 10446.--Approved (Public Statutes No. 156, July 11, 1916), 10836. “Federal Aid Road Act, Regulations for carrying out,” Office of Public Roads Circular No. 65. U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. Free Delivery of Mail. Agricultural Year Book, 1917; Postmaster General’s Reports, 1892-1899; Ex. Doc. 1, Pt. 4, 52d Cong., 2d Sess., p. 11; Ex. Doc. 1, Pt. 4, 53d Cong., 2d Sess., pp. ix, 55; Ex. Doc. 1, Pt. 1, 54th Cong., 3d Sess., pp. 11, 120; H. Doc. 4, 54th Cong., 1st Sess., pp. 8, 116; H. Doc. 4, 54th Cong., 2d Sess., pp. 25, 129; H. Doc. 4, 55th Cong., 3d Sess., pp. 12, 104; _American Year Book_, 1919, p. 556. D. Appleton & Company. Funk and Wagnalls’ Encyclopaedia, Article “Cycling.” Good Roads Year Book, 1917, “State Highway Department Legislation,” pp. 37-218. Good Roads Meetings.--“Iowa Highway Meeting,” _Engineering Record_, August 27, 1892; National Highway Association at Portland, Oregon, _The Morning Oregonian_, June 22, 1905; Office of the Public Roads Bulletins, Nos. 15, 17, 19, 21-26. GREATHOUSE, CHARLES H., “The Delivery of Rural Mails,” Year Book,