Highway System Faces Stagnation

ARIZONA HIGHWAYS FEBRUARY, 1933

In malarial remedies. Some varieties are said to cure poison-ivy infections, and others are valuable in chronic rheumatism.

Nothing needs to be said about the Castor-oil bush. While given a bad household name generally, it is safer than prohibition cocktails!

The study of the medicinal values of plants is a fascinating subject. Laboratories spend thousands of dollars in research and experiment to standardize remedies as far as humanly possible, discover their affinities, and their possibilities in all kinds of compounds. The most valuable side to this study for many people at least, is the outdoor life and exercise it gives them. The scientific knowledge is fine, we must have it, but better still are the robust, supple muscles, healthy appetites, and clear eyes that come from tramping over these old western hills, and wresting their secrets from their children. Lovely the flaming ocetillas, but no redder than the rich blood coursing through the veins of the happy tramp that pierces himself on one of their spears, and thinks one of their blossoms hangs from his finger! If people would go out and hunt for medical aid among the plants Nature has put here in this out-of-doors laboratory, we doctors would starve.

HIGHWAY FUND DIVERSION VETOED

News Items from Automobile Club of Southern California Defeat of state proposition No. 4, a constitutional amendment which would have diverted certain highway funds to general state purposes, was hailed as "an emphatic and lasting repulse" for proponents of highway fund diversion projects, in a statement today by the Automobile Club of Southern California. The motorists' organization led a statewide effort against the measure, which was decisively rejected. Commenting on defeat of the amendment a statement from the automobile club said: "The voters of California have served notice that they will not tolerate diversion to other purposes of the taxes paid to build, improve, and maintain our highways. By registering their disapproval of proposition No. 4 the people of the state have voiced a mandate in support of the principal that highway funds shall be used for their specifically dedicated purposes and for no others, Serious impairment, if not actual stagnation, faces the great highway system of the United States in consequence of the widespread diversion of motor funds to other than good roads purposes, according to J. Borton Weeks, President of the American Motorists' Association.

"The sinister aspects of diversion are fast becoming apparent," said Mr. Weeks, in a statement here today, "and there are country-wide indications of a motorist revolt against continued use of motor funds for any purpose except highway extension, improvement and maintenance. This revolt cannot come too soon if the highway program is to be saved.

"There are in the United States approximately 3,200,000 miles of road, of which only 128,000, or four per cent, are paved. Roads classified as 'improved' total 700,000 miles. From these figures it can readily be seen that the task of building the highways in the United States has hardly begun. Diversion not only seriously interferes with the upkeep of present highways, but postpones far into the future the ultimate completion of the country's road system.

"In utter disregard of the country's need for more highways, various states last year diverted to other purposes more than $120,000,000 contributed by motorists specifically for roads. Motor fund raiders probably will divert even more this year unless motorists make a determined stand against it.

Effects of diversion are already apparent in badly maintained roads in some states. Such highways become a liability instead of an asset. The economic loss through damage to motor vehicles and injury to their accu-pants is enormous.

Another danger to the highway system is the impairment of credit which will result if there are any defaults on interest or principal on the many millions of highway bonds now outstanding. These bond payments, in most cases, are to be made from gasoline tax and license funds which are being diverted to other uses. Obviously, any such impairment of credit would seriously embarrass road building programs of the future.

Road and street construction must go on if there is to be any stemming of the unemployment tide.

This summarizes the thought in the minds of the 25,000 people who gath-ered in Detroit last month from all sections of the country at the Highway and Building Congress led by the American Road Builders' Association.

The twenty-two national highway and construction groups forming the Congress devoted a major part of their programs to the laying of plans to keep job-giving motor tax funds for road and street building only and to consideration of the problems resulting from the failure of the national Congress to provide Federal Aid road funds for the immediate future.

Numerous speakers directed attention to the fact that misuse or diversion of motor tax funds was constantly adding new numbers to the ranks of the unemployed. The failure to provide Federal Aid funds was shown as a serious handicap to the States which are unable to make definite plans for road construction for the latter half of this year and for 1934.

Thomas H. MacDonald, chief of the U. S. Bureau of Public Roads, declared, "The most significant fact is that highways and highway transport are a going concern. What other major activity has held so closely to prosperity levels?"

Mr. MacDonald pointed out that directly and indirectly 1,000,000 persons were employed in highway work in 1932. He cited figures to show that in the manufacture and operation of automobiles no less than 3,600,000 persons have jobs.

Altogether an overwhelming array of facts was presented against the tendency which exists in some quarters to curtail or cease road work and to cripple highway transportation. The Congress took a firm stand against the dole and those in attendance pledged thmselves to demand that all communities wherever possible use relief money for planned useful work rather than for doles.

The Highway and Building Congress adopted this terse resolution: "We demand that the revenue raised from motor vehicle fuel taxes and license fees be used exclusively for highway construction and maintenance, and we oppose the diversion of these fees and taxes to other purposes."

A firm stand was taken on the continuance of Federal Aid: "We deplore the 'proposal that Federal Aid to state highway improvement be curtailed or suspended at this time, and we urge (Continued on Page 12)"

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