Section 2. Chairman The chairman of the board of directors shall preside over all meetings of the board. He shall sign as chairman of his respective State, all contracts and other instruments in writing which have first been approved by the board of directors, and shall countersign all checks drawn on the treasurer. No officer or person of the United States Monumental Highways shall be authorized or empowered to create any obligation against the United States Monumental Highways without the general or special approval of the board of trustees, and no promises or statements shall be made by any officer or person that is binding on the United States Monumental Highways or the trustees thereof until and unless the same has been approved by the trustees' general counsel. Section 3. Vice Chairman The vice chairman, who shall be State coordinator, shall, in the absence or disability of the chairman, perform such other duties as the board may prescribe. As State coordinator, he shall act as between the United States Monumental Highways and with such corporations and individuals as may be deemed necessary or expedient to properly coordinate the various functions of the United States Monumental Highways in its transactions and operations throughout the various sections of the State to the end that the whole may be harmonized and work as a practical unit. The secretary's general duties shall be: (a) To keep a record of the proceedings of the board of directors. (b) He shall keep the State seal of the United States Monumental Highways, fill and countersign all necessary entries, and affix the State seal to all papers requiring same. (c) He shall keep proper account books and discharge such other duties as pertain to his office and as may be prescribed by the board of directors. (d) He shall serve all notice required, and in case of his disability or refusal or otherwise to serve, the board may direct such services by any other person, or unless the board so directs, the chairman shall direct the same. Section 5. Treasurer The treasurer shall receive and account for all the funds of the United States Monumental Highway and pay them out only on the checks of the United States Monumental Highways signed in the manner authorized by the board of directors. All money received shall at once be deposited in the designated bank to the credit of the United States Monumental Highways. Section 6. Other officers The board of directors, under such authority as may be granted unto them by the board of trustrees, may establish such additional and further offices and departments as they may deem for the best interests of the United States Monumental Highways, and which may include all of the following and additional ones: Engineering department with chief and assistants; executive committee; comptroller; supervisor of employment; legal department; office personnel manager; public relations; publicity department; auditing department; general manager; finance committee; educational department. Gentlemen, I have given this corporate setup outline to show that the United States Monumental Highways are free for service to keep our Nation free. Industry can, if it will, put on a system of roads that would be superior and cost less per mile for construction and maintenance, and increase National and State wealth and income in very large measure. Industry must not become engrossed in or engulfed by partisan political affrays. Government ownership is the weak link in our national armor. Industry must guard against any further Government ownership if the freedom of our Republic is to be maintained. The unmistakable trend to decentralization of industry would find fullest benefit. Every student of economics knows the really big centers of population have outlived their usefulness. Industry has kept abreast and met our needs as they arose, and has pioneered many innovations in time- and labor-saving devices. Volumes of congratulatory comments could not adequately express our debt of appreciation to these unsung industrial heroes. Their great vision and "know-how and doing it" of seeking new products and new methods which has built this land of opportunity. 1072 The launching of United States Monumental Highways would absorb uncounted millions of workers of all age brackets, of both sexes, of every degree of skill, of every race and creed. The benefits would extend to every corner of the Nation. Businessmen in all fields are interested in more business. New frontiers is the key for a perpetual economic security for the next century, with consumerspending dollars in circulation. Only then can dividends be earned through labor and invested capital and increased Federal taxes be paid. RIGHTS-OF-WAY By purchase, condemnation proceedings, or other lawful manner, the United States Monumental Highways is authorized to acquire tracts of land adjoining rights-of-way, and these tracts of land may be improved by the United States Monumental Highways and sold, leased, or otherwise disposed of, as will in the judgment of the trustees, best aid in the proper distribution and use of such avenues and in the most equitable administration. The redemption of the bonds held as security to assure the liquidation of the highway currency, and as provided by the United States Monumental Highways, is guaranteed from franchise revenues. Revenues received will be sufficient to retire bond issue for money designated as highway issue. Each State could and I am certain they would be forthcoming with rights-ofway in exchange for the concession to give the States better roads. The United States Monumental Highways already has one right-of-way in Elmore County, Ala., granted by the county commissioners. A copy of form is herewith attached. Each State would participate proportionately in the revenues and under the liquidation of all liabilities of the highways, all interest therein shall revert to the Federal and State Governments and their several agencies through which land was acquired as resolved by the Treasury. LABOR All labor employed in the construction of the United States Monumental Highways would receive the prevailing scale of wages. However, only Federal de ductions for social security and withholding tax would be made, and 5 percent of the annual earned sum would be credited to workers as a gift to apply to purchase price of any land or home along the highways owned by the United States Monumental Highways. This bonus continues for a period of 10 years. However, all such benefits earned shall be canceled if worker deems to strike. Whenever the elements do not permit work, worker shall receive 30 percent of his weekly earnings. The United States Monumental Highways is more, far more, than just another road-building project. Its comparison to the average boulevard is that of a leaf to an entire tree. This vast self-liquidating enterprise will absorb uncounted millions of workers of all age brackets, of both sexes, of every degree of skill, of every race and creed and political party. It cannot become engrossed in, on engulfed by, partisan politics. The benefits extend to every corner of the Nation. Modern homes-the fundamental basis of life and of living-will be encouraged. Churches, schools, libraries, hospitals, and airports are all part of the United States Monumental Highways. Monorail shall be constructed, owned, and operated by the Almagamated Railroads. Mr. William Randolph Hearst, Jr., through and by virtue of his publications. has given you the green light for national economic security and prosperity. Our Nation now is in the hands of our industrialist, business, civic leaders, and citizens to propel the boat without National and State politics. Detailed information regarding military advantages, construction, acquiring right-of-way, mechanical function, as well as national and State corporate operation, is yours for the asking. S. W. KNOBLOCK. SUPPLEMENT TO STATEMENT OF MR. JAMES J. NANCE, PRESIDENT, AUTOMOBILE MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION In the course of the appearance, before the Subcommittee on Roads, of Mr. James J. Nance, president, Automobile Manufacturers Association, members of the committee asked that certain additional information be supplied. The first request was for the figure on gross national product for 1953, for comparison with the 1954 figure of $357 billion shown in our chart on national economic growth and Federal revenues. The 1953 gross national product was $364.9 billion, according to the January 1955 Economic Report of the President (H. Doc. No. 31, 84th Cong., 1st sess., p. 138). Since our chart put all gross national product figures in terms of 1954 dollars, the proper figure for 1953 on this basis would be $368.5 billion. For the first quarter of 1955, the gross national product was at an annual rate of $369 billion, according to Economic Indicators, April 1955, page 2 (Council of Economic Advisers). The second request was for an explanation of the method used by our association in estimating that lack of a modernized interstate highway system now costs the Nation's motorists $1 billion yearly in traffic accidents that would not occur if needed improvements were made on this system, and in estimating a $700 million yearly accident cost penalty for lack of improvements on other roads and streets. As we pointed out in our statement, the Interstate System now carries 14 percent of United States traffic but would carry 26 percent of traffic if it were fully modernized. Our association studies show that urban interstate routes would carry 11 percent of United States traffic, and rural interstate routes 15 percent (the rural sections including routes in cities below 5,000 population to conform with urbanrural primary system definitions contained in the Federal-aid highway legislation). The United States Bureau of Public Roads agrees with us that these are reasonable estimates of the traffic volume which would exist on a modernized Interstate System. Because 1954 traffic amounted to 557 billion vehicle-miles nationally, this means that urban interstate routes would have carried 61 billion travel-miles in 1954, and rural interstate routes would have carried 83.5 billion travel-miles, had the system been improved. From National Safety Council data on accident costs per vehicle-mile on various types of roadways, we estimate that accident costs on rural interstate routes now average 0.75 cent per vehicle mile, or $626 million for 1954. From records of modern rural highways using design standards planned for the Interstate System, we estimate at least a 75 percent reduction in accident rates on the rural system-or a saving of about $470 million yearly in accident costs if the rural interstate system were now modernized. For the urban interstate system, we based our estimates on some very comprehensive studies of urban freeways by the University of California's Institute of Transportation. These studies indicate an accident cost of 1.5 cent per mile on existing arterial streets, and a reduction of more than 80 percent in accident rates on urban freeways. Thus the lack of a modernized urban interstate system now penalizes motorists about $915 million yearly in accident costs, and a potential saving of $732 million yearly is possible upon modernization of the urban part of the system. Adding the urban and rural accident cost penalties, we get a total of $1.2 billion yearly. We have reduced this total to $1 billion because of the fact that some small part of the Interstate System now is already modernized. In arriving at the estimate of $700 million yearly as the saving in accident costs that would result if other needed road and street improvements were made, we were forced to take into account the fact that there is markedly less opportunity to reduce accidents on routes which, because they carry sharply fewer vehicles daily per mile than the Interstate System carries, cannot economically be improved to safety standards that approach those of the controlled-access expressway. If our road system were fully modernized today, the primary system would carry 27 percent of United States traffic, according to our association estimates. The secondard system would carry 14 percent of traffic. Rural roads outside the Federal-aid systems would carry 13 percent of traffic, and city streets outside the Federal-aid systems would carry 20 percent of traffic. We estimated relatively little safety benefit from improvements of routes outside the Federal-aid systems, since such improvements pertain mainly to surface betterments and such routes carry relatively small daily traffic volumes per mile. Yet these routes, when improved, would carry 33 percent of all traffic, and they account for 77 percent of all United States road and street mileage. Similarly, we could not foresee any really considerable safety gains from modernization of the secondary system, which now averages 460 vehicles daily per mile, and has about 16 percent of United States road mileage. Here again, much of the problem concerns a need for improved surfacing to increase vehicle operating economy. Thus, 93 percent of all road mileage, carrying 47 percent of United States traffic, seems incapable of any major safety gains through road improvement. Therefore, outside of the Interstate System, we would expect the largest further gains from road improvements to come on the primary system, which if improved would carry 27 percent of United States traffic-20 percent on rural sections, 7 percent on urban sections. Since this system would carry virtually the same traffic volume as the Interstate System, but would average only about one-quarter the daily traffic densities per mile as the Interstate System, it cannot be expected that the primary system will be improved to the average high standards needed on the Interstate System. We therefore cannot expect such sharp reductions in accident rates-even though important safety benefits admittedly result from widening of narrow bridges and traffic lanes, provision of adequate road shoulders, improvement of motoring sight-distances through smoothing out of hills and curves, and through such traffic engineering devices as one-way streets, selective lighting of major streets and important rural intersections, and improved traffic signs and lane markings. Our total estimate of $1.7 billions in yearly savings through accident reductions accomplished by road improvements is in line with estimates by many safety authorities that road improvements can in themselves cut the Nation's accident rate between 40 and 45 percent. We believe that the Automotive Safety Foundation submitted testimony to this effect to the committee several weeks ago. The 1954 traffic accident cost was set by the National Safety Council at $4.3 billions. STATEMENT OF EDGAR D. OTTO, ALBUQUERQUE, N. Mex. My name is Edgar D. Otto. I reside at 3100 Rio Grande Boulevard NW., Albuquerque, N. Mex. I own a building materials firm operating 25 heavyduty trucks. I am immediate past president of the Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce. The 1955 session of the New Mexico State Legislature has recently passed legislation raising truck weights permitted upon the highways of the State to among the highest in the Nation. This bill, signed by the Governor, will become effective June 10, 1955. This action has brought the vigorous criticism of every one of the State's 17 daily newspapers, the nearly 10,000 members of the New Mexico AAA Motor Club, the some 8,000 members of the New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau New Mexico motel and hotel owners, members of the New Mexico League of Women voters acting as individuals, as well as from great numbers of prominent civic and business leaders from every county in the State. The feeling is so great that a temporary committee has been formed, comprised of business leaders, to explore the possibility of initiating a referendum to place the matter on the ballot at the next general election for a decision by the people. The taxpayers' money, which will provide funds for appropriations for Federal-aid road construction program now under consideration in the Congres must be expended in a wise and economical manner to insure the finest syste of roads at the lowest possible cost. In recent years, over the Nation, State legislatures have been placed under severe pressure to grant increased weight allowances to operators of trucks. Such has also been the case in New Mexico. Surveys and exhaustive tests have proved beyond any doubt whatsoever that weights in excess of those recommended by the American Association of State Highway Officials and the United States Bureau of Public Roads cause a rapid deteriorating effect upon present highways and increase costs of new construction by as much as 30 percent. Under New Mexico's old law, with the exception of so-called overload tolerances granted to haulers of New Mexico natural resources, provisions called for a single axle weight of 18,000 pounds, tandem axle, 32,000 pounds; maximum gross weight, 76,800 pounds; width 8 feet; height, 12 feet 6 inches; length, 63 feet; and number of units, 2. Under the new law, which would become effective June 10, 1955, permission is granted to all trucks to operate under the following provisions: Single axle, 21,600 pounds; tandem axle, 34,320; maximum gross weight, 86,400 pounds; width, 8 feet 6 inches; height, 13 feet 6 inches; length, 65 feet; and number of units, 3. This new law would permit higher weights than allowed by any of the Western States, in one of the poorest States in the Nation and in the fourth largest State, where roads are already far below the standard of most other States. According to Highway Statistics 1953 as published by the United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of Public Roads, the situation in New Mexico as regards her roads was this: 62,568 miles of roads of all types. This is broken down as follows: Primary roads, 10,685; county and local roads, 45,820; Federal roads, 4,158; municipal roads, 1,905. Eighty percent, or 51,093, of this mileage had no surfacing whatsoever. Most of this staggering figure, of course, is represented in the county and local roads, with over 44,000 miles with no surfacing. However, the primary rural roads had 25 percent, or 2,663 unsurfaced miles. Perhaps the most significant point of all is the fact that some 82 percent, or 6,607 miles, of the primary rural roads were less than 24 feet wide. With permission granted to all trucks to operate with a width of 8 feet 6 inches at the axle, the danger to New Mexico motorists, as well as to the thousands of visitors from every State in the Union, will be increased appallingly. Authorities have testified upon innumerable occasions that with today's higher speeds and tremendous volume of trucks and cars, a two-lane highway must be at least 24 feet wide to offer any degree of safety to those who use the highway. Yet, New Mexico's primary rural roads have 82 percent of its mileage less than the recommended 24 feet in width. The danger to motorists becomes even clearer when it is pointed out that the highways of New Mexico are dotted with 19-foot bridges. The picture of a string of gasoline trailers and a school bus meeting on one of these bridges is a most gruesome one. Under the provisions of Senate bill 1048, as considered by that body, Federal aid would be withheld from States permitting increased weights in excess of those in effect May 1, 1955. As passed in its final form, however, the effective date was amended to read July 1, 1956. If this effective date should be retained in a final enactment, New Mexico's increased weights would "slip under the wire" and not jeopardize Federal grants of highway-construction aid. The future date immediately lends an opportunity to States where legislatures still are in session to let down the bars and rush to increase weights before the July 1, 1956, effective date. The thousands of taxpayers interested in this matter do not feel it is fair for the other taxpayers of the Nation to pay for increased costs of construction and maintenance necessitated by tremendous trucks weights in New Mexico. Nor, in turn, do they feel it is fair for other States to place New Mexico taxpayers in the same position. In enacting an enlarged Federal-aid road construction program, it is felt that a solemn duty lies before the Congress of the United States to insure that every dollar shall be spent to provide the finest roads, the greatest number of lasting miles of roads possible, and that special interests shall be prevented from enjoying truck-weight loads, which would increase construction costs to the point that this goal would be impossible. The many thousands of New Mexico citizens, who are most vitally interested in this important matter, urgently request that the committees of the House of Representatives engaged in reporting out Federal-aid road construction legislation, shall insure that a provision be enacted prohibiting increased weights in excess of those in effect in the States on May 1, 1955. AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS, Re testimony of Joseph H. Ehlers on H. R. 4260, June 1, 1955 Hon. CHARLES A. BUCKLEY, Chairman, Committee on Public Works, House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. DEAR CHAIRMAN BUCKLEY: The following notes relate to citations I did not have available while testifying: As to potential toll mileage on the Interstate System, House Document No. 93 says on pages 13 and 14: "As of December 1, 1954, 7 States have 988 miles of toll roads in operation which parallel or coincide with the Interstate System. *** Another 1,200 miles presently under construction or financed, also |