Oddie-Colton Bill

This bill which is now before the congress for consideration, provides for the amending of the Federal Highway Act by permitting the government to participate in the cost of construction and maintainance of roads through un-appropriated lands, non-taxable Indian reservations or other Federal Reserva-tions in the proportion of said lands in each state. In other words, that the government shall bear its proper share of the expense of the road construction in the so-called public land states. Arizona is naturally much interested in this measure and through the efforts of the Western Motor Clubs the several conferences of the A.A.A. Clubs have unanimously endorsed the measure. Its passage will mean the expenditure of ten and one-half millions by the Federal government over a period of three years. This is a distinct contribution by the government in addition to the present Federal Aid and will not require parti-cipation by the several states.

The bill is as follows: Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Federal Highway Act, approved November 9, 1921 (Forty-second Statutes at Large, page 212,) as amended or supplemented, be further amended by amending the second paragraph of Section 3 of said Federal Highway Act to read as follows: The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to cooperate with the State Highway departments and with the Department of the Interior in the survey-construction, reconstruction, and maintenance of main roads through unappropriated or unreserved public lands, non-taxable Indian lands, or other Federal reservations other than the forest reservations. Such sums as the Congress may hereafter authorize to be expended under the provisions of this section shall be apportioned among those states having more than 5 per centum of their area in the lands hereinbefore described and shall be prorated and apportioned to said states in the proportion that said lands in each of said states is to the total area of said lands in the states eligible under the provisions of this section, and no contribution from the states shall be required in the expenditure thereof. The roads constructed and maintained under the provisions of this section shall be of the same standard as to width and character of construction as the Federal government requires of the states under like conditions: Provided, That in the allocation of any such funds authorized to be appropriated under this section or any subsequent Act preference shall be given to those projects which are located on the Federal-aid highway system as the same are now or may hereafter be designated.

The Secretary of Agriculture shall prepare, publish and distribute a map and other information, at least annually, "ing the progress made in the expenditures of the funds authorized under this section.

Sec. 2. The second paragraph of di-vision (a) of section 23 of the Federal Highway Act approved November 9, 1921, is hereby amended by adding the following: "Provided, That, in the expenditure of funds authorized under this paragraph, the Secretary of Agriculture shall give preference to those projects which are located on the Feder-al-aid highway system as the same are now or may hereafter be designated, and the roads so constructed shall be of the same standard as to width and character of construction as the Federal government requires of the states under like conditions: Provided further, That the Secretary of Agriculture shall prepare, publish and distribute a map and other information, at least annually, showing the progress made in the expenditures of the funds authroized under this sec-tion."

Sec. 3. All Acts or parts of Acts in any way inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, and that Act shall take effect on its passage.

RISHEL, UTAH AUTO ASSOCIATION MANAGER, GIVES VIEWS ON OD-DIE-COLTON BILL.

Salt Lake City, Utah, April 25, 1929.

Mr. Ernest N. Smith, General Manager, American Automobile Association, Washington, D. C. Dear Smith: Your letter and copy of the Oddie-Colton bill at hand. You ask for my reactions to same.

First, let me impress upon you my views of Federal Aid, why and how it was secured, and the reasons for its continuance. I am one of the few men still in service, who were on the battle front when the Government was brought to realize its duty in aiding road construction.

Government aid was a child of the A. A. A. under the leadership of A. G. Batchelder. There are still a few old-timers, like myself, who were his lieutenants in those hectic days. The idea was finally sold to Congress and as a result, we have our present plan of Government aid, built around the principle of Government aid only upon through our interstate highways which correlate into a connected federal system.

In my opinion it is the duty of the automobile clubs who fostered this plan to use every effort to maintain this principle. The minute we deviate from it and seek funds from the Government for intrastate roads, or roads of only local importance, we are substituting a pork barrel policy which cannot be logically defended, for our present principle which will always have the support of all sections of the country.

For this reason, I opposed the former Oddie-Colton bill, which did not specify where the additional money asked for should be spent. I was severely criticized by many in my own state for my stand, but I noticed that every person or organization which did criticize me supplemented their criticism with a request that the bill be amended so as to designate that all funds should be spent on the Federal Aid system or that the Federal Aid System should be given preference in the use of the addi-tional funds asked for.

I notice the Oddie-Colton bill, presented in this session of Congress, distinctly states that the Federal aid system shall be given preference in the expenditure of these added funds and that the department shall publish a map each year showing where these funds are spent.

This it seems to me, protects the principle which I have outlined above, and moreover, completely vindicates the stand I took several months ago. Therefore, I see no reason why I cannot take an honest stand squarely behind the new Oddie-Colton bill and do my bit to help its passage.

I think the auto clubs of America, who, I insist, are the originators of the Federal aid idea, and who crystallized public opinion in favor of Federal