SOME STATES TOO AMBITIOUS WITH LOCAL ROAD ASSISTANCE

ARIZONA HIGHWAYS OCTOBER, 1932

At a very high standard. This, in turn, has resulted in subscriptions to the magazines from many of the prominent universities, libraries, museums and other learned institutions of the world. The magazine also reaches numerous high schools and private persons in Arizona and the southwest. The material of the magazine includes Spanish documentary research and interpretation, articles also on army, Indian and pioneer affairs and the lively personal recollections of surviving pioneers, who, themselves participated in the less than a century old history of the United States in what is now Arizona.

Some States Too Ambitious With Local Road Assistance By E. E. DUFFY

Among typical titles of articles may be mentioned, "The Beginnings of Printing in Arizona", "Tucson-The Old Pueblo", a history of Tucson over two centuries, "The Pleasant Valley War of 1886-87", "The Apaches Last Stand", and "Kino of Pimeria Alta", the first biography in English or Spanish of the renowned Jesuit Missionary.

States so far which have assumed the task of building and maintaining local county roads, in addition to state highways, have found the result to be against the greatest common good.

Pennsylvania and North Carolina have taken over county roads. Pennsylvania's road funds were not increased while those of North Carolina were enlarged but not sufficiently to properly meet the new burden.

Pennsylvania took over 20,000 miles of local roads which added to the state highway mileage of 13,562, gives Pennsylvania 33,562 miles of state roads. North Carolina increased her state road mileage to 55.000 miles by taking over 45,000 miles of county roads.

With the state responsible for local roads, the natural desire to give better roads to all the counties has led to the construction of inferior road surfaces. These surfaces are marked with high maintenance costs and road authorities concur in the opinion that these accumulating costs soon will be overwhelming.

Thomas H. MacDonald, chief of the U. S. Bureau of Public roads, who, because of his ability and position, is the world's leading road builder, outlines the principles of road building as follows: "First, the states, without exception, which have placed the administration of the income from the gas taxes and the motor vehicle registration fees wholly under the control of the state highway departments, are in the best condition financially to carry forward their state road programs, and to extend assistance beyond the roads included within the state sysThe activities of the Arizona Pioneers Historical Society of Tucson and the Arizona Museum of Phoenix are regularly related in each issue of the "Arizona Historical Review". The book reviews cover the more important recent imprints on western and southwestern history. A titlepage and index is printed for each volume and is available upon request of subscribers, enabling them to bind each volume of the magazine complete. Subscription to the "Arizona Historical Review" is three dollars by the year, one dollar for single copies. All except two numbers of the back file may be purchased at the office of the Arizona Historian, numbers one and four of volume one being out of print.

During the past biennium a new project has been started by the Arizona Historian, that of placing historical markers on the highways of the state-handsome uniform metal signs bearing a descriptive legend and located at the nearest points from which historic sites may be reached by automobile. For many years historical marking has been practiced by the eastern states and the tendency is spreading westward through the country; but examples are unnecessary to prove the immemorial tendency of man to mark his trails with monuments to victory, to tragedy, to noble men and great works.

The office has met with encouragement in the project on every hand. An Arizona Historical Markers' Association has been formed with a chairman from each county to act both as a local chairman and as an executive member of the association. This executive group elected the Arizona Historian and her secretary chairman and Items.

"Second, the states that, while not retaining within the state highway department's direct expenditure of all the income from these taxes, have provided a general control of the expenditures of the part of the income allocated to other governmental divisions, are without exception able to meet their obligation for state roads and through this definite direction are obtaining the co-ordination of state and local road improvement.

"And third, the states which have divided between the states and other agencies without state control a material part of the income from these funds are almost without exception facing serious financial difficulties both on the part of the state and the localities, to maintain existing roads and to go forward with even a largely reduced program."

TOURIST TRAVEL INCREASES AS MEXICAN HIGHWAY IS OPENED

Motor tourist travel over the International Pacific Highway into Mexica increased magically immediately following the opening of the first foreign link. 61 miles long, from Nogales on the United States border, to Magdalena, Sonora. where the dedication celebration was held.

Adventuring tourist traffic, which has been increasing steadily over the trail south through the Arizona gateway ever since the first path-finding expedition of the motorists' organization in 1930, which reached Mexico City, has been given a decided impetus by the opening of this first good graded surface, which has easy alignment and grades, and is 30 feet wide to the Mexican town. Several hundred American motorists attended the celebration in Magdalena, in addition to many high Mexican and United States officials.

secretary, respectively, of the state body. Materials, design and prices of markers have been investigated, and the group hope to have ready a marking program for presenting to the next legislature.

Appearing as this statement does in the organ of the Arizona Highway Commission, it is to be hoped that those interested in good roads throughout Arizona will also learn with interest of this marking historical program. It is purely a road program as all markers are to border the highways. Such a characterizing of main points of interest on the highways of Arizona will inform the native and attract the guest of the state, The new highway, giving sightseeing tourists a foreign land to invade, cost a half million pesos, and will be completed to Hermosillo by next summer, according to assurances given the automobile club scouts. The graded improvement now extends 13 miles below Magdalena to Santa Ana, a town of about 2.000 population.

Magdalena has a pure Mexican population of approximately 8,000. At an altitude of nearly 3,000 feet above sea level, it has a splendid climate.