to have something to give a national or interstate significance we felt the shield was the most practicable thing and the most artistic. We found after adopting this and approving it and signs were put up in a good many of the States, that there is no law on the statute books of the Federal Government to protect the shield in its use.

There are stringent laws relative to the use of the flag but there is nothing that protects the use of the shield in any way, and for that reason we found, since we have erected those signs, there is a disposition on the part of people who think they are forwarding their advertising plans to use the shield for advertising purposes along the highways in various ways that are anything but dignified and we also find some little disposition to mutilate those signs as was prevalent at the time the rural mail boxes were first put up. We feel that it is incumbent upon the Federal Government since the Department of Agriculture has approved the use of the shield as an interstate marker, that as it is no more than fair that the Federal Government should pass a law that would protect the use of this shield on the highway. We are not asking to protect it for anything outside of that which is our concern, although we feel that might be done, but to protect the use of the shield on the highway from any other purpose than intended by the State governments and the Federal Government in cooperation in these plans is necessitous.

We do not feel that there would be any great amount of financial expenses devolving upon the Federal Government in enforcing this law, but having been a postmaster myself for 13 years and laid out some rural routes I know the wholesome effect of a Federal regulation in taking care of these matters. It seems to me and it is quite the general opinion of the States in their operation that we should have your assistance to that extent.

In order that you may visualize a little more than you have before what this numbering is meaning to you and see what we have accomplished in road construction I prepared a map showing 24 roads. It was impossible to take all the numbered system and get the data together. This data is as of January 1, 1926, almost one year old, but it as far forward as I could secure the data. I have provided here two maps in order that you can visualize it more clearly, north and south roads on one map and east to west on another and I tried to get as near as possible the same amount of mileage on each map. That is the reason why there are only 9 roads east and west and 14 north and south. The total mileage involved in presenting this matter to you is 45,352 miles. This 45,352 miles represents more than 50 per cent of the entire numbered system.

Mr. ROBSION. Is this the completed map? Is that the way it is there? Is that the road that will be on there?

Mr. MARKHAM. Yes, that is the way they are going to run.
Mr. ROBSION. Are those all the roads?

Mr. MARKHAM. No, I just said there are only 24-only 50 per cent of the entire numbered system mileage.

Mr. ROBSION. Take this road here, for instance, I would like for your commission or assocation to explain a proposition. It begins down there, and takes Florida and on this side you come down here and those roads [indicating] cross each other. Why should that section come over here and create this section of the country when you have a direct route? Why not require that road to come down here in its

course? It seems to me that Chicago just bulled that proposition over. I think it was an outrage committed on this other section of the country to make the direct route there from Chicago come down here and then cross over and make it the Florida route instead of north and south to come on here or this No. 25 to come down here [indicating].

Mr. MARKHAM. I was not able to get the material on all these other roads therefore No. 25 is not on. This is an illustration to show the condition of improvement on 24 roads. I am not entering into any controversy in reference to the location of 41 or 31.

Mr. ROBSION. Here is No. 25 that begins over here and would run directly south to Florida taking in Michigan, Ohio, and that great district here but instead of doing that you let Chicago come over here and root out 31 and 25.

Mr. COLTON. If it controls the freight situation west, why not let it control the highways?

Mr. ROBSION. I am wondering what influences enabled this thing to be accomplished.

Mr. MARKHAM. I will say parenthetically, in laying out this system of roads there were two points kept in view. One was the general trend of traffic as it now exists and the other was to make the roads, as nearly as possible, odd numbers running north and south, and even numbers east and west.

Mr. ROBSION. But this great congested district of Michigan and Indiana?

Mr. MARKHAM. Is all taken care of.

Mr. ROBSION. This is No. 25 coming down here. Its natural course would be down here south and the main road south to Florida but instead of that it comes over here and that road comes over there and crowds Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.

Mr. COLTON. You are right about it, but it is not germane.

Mr. ROBSION. Certainly I am right about it. It might be germane in giving any more authority.

Mr. MARKHAM. My purpose in presenting those maps to you is that I just wanted to show you the condition of construction.

Mr. ROBSION. I thought you were secretary of that board. Mr. MARKHAM. Not of the joint board. I am executive secretary of the association but you know a secretary has no vote, but just records what the other people do.

Mr. ROBSION. I thought maybe you could tell us about the record. You were present when all this happened.

Mr. MARKHAM. No; I was not. That was the joint board that did that. That has not been changed.

Mr. HOLADAY. When was that done?

Mr. MARKHAM. Two years in April, when that started.

Mr. ROBSION. Thirty-one comes down and forces you to go direct south and cross 41 and let 41 come down there and cross 31 and that comes over here in the eastern part of the United States and crowds out the other roads.

Mr. MANLOVE. Why are part of the roads marked in dark, etc.? Mr. MARKHAM. I was about to explain that. Those roads that I have given here for illustration are purely to show you the condition of construction of those roads up to the 1st of January and they

include 25 per cent of the Federal-aid system as well as 50 per cent of the numbered system. The data that I have secured, and I will put it in the record for all these numbers, are for 24 roads. The data that I have secured on No. 40, No. 50, and No. 81 include city streets also.

These maps show that the 24 roads are 31.8 per cent paved, definite paving. The entire Federal aid system is 22.2 per cent paved so these roads are a little under or about 10 per cent more advanced than the entire Federal aid system.

Mr. SPROUL. What per cent of the through roads are paved? Mr. MARKHAM. I am speaking only of those roads illustratedthe 24 roads.

Mr. SPROUL. What per cent of them have received Federal aid? Mr. MARKHAM. What per cent of the mileage of these 24 roads have Federal aid?

Mr. SPROUL. Yes.

Mr. MARKHAM. I have not worked that out. A large mileage has had no Federal aid whatever, particularly States that had large bond issues. They were able to build rapidly without very much Federal aid, such as Pennsylvania, Illinois, North Carolina, and have been able to build roads through those States without anywhere near 50 per cent Federal aid.

Mr. SPROUL. Then Federal through roads, so-called interstate roads, may be over highways that have been altogether built by the States?

Mr. MARKHAM. Yes, indeed, in many cases that is true, but they are on the system, 7 per cent, in which the Federal Government has entered into an agreement with the States to construct, not necessary that they should-if the States wanted to go faster-that is their privilege-but this is limited entirely to the system.

These 24 roads are also 35.8 per cent surfaced with cheaper grades of surfacing, such as gravel and W. B. Macadam, while the Federal Aid system is 35.3 improved with like surfacing only five-tenths of 1 per cent difference between the entire system, and the numbered system of roads I am showing. That makes a total surfacing of some kind or other, on 67.6 per cent for these 24 roads across the country, while 57.5 per cent, or more than 50 per cent of the entire Federalaid system has some kind of surfacing now. Mileage graded and drained, roads ready for some kind of surfacing, on these 24 roads are 21.2 per cent of the whole while the Federal-aid system has 15.7 per cent ready for surfacing. Without any improvement, on the 24 roads, there is a mileage of 11.2 per cent and on the entire Federalaid system there is still 26.8 per cent on which we have done nothing. I wish to call your attention, just as a matter of interest generally, to the fact that No. 30, No. 40, and No. 50 are all within 50 miles of the same length, each being over 3,200 miles in length. Also that the road nearest completed is No. 99, the second road inside of the western coast. No. 99 is 91 per cent paved and there is no mileage that is not ready for pavement and since this map was prepared from the statistics of January 1, some of that 9 per cent has been paved, so you have a roadbed on the west coast from one end to the other that is virtually all paved.

Just for a matter of record and interest to you, as you might wish to follow these roads, I have given here by routes the whole 24 to show

the class of pavement, percentage, and mileage of those roads. If it meets with your approval I will give that to the clerk for the record. The CHAIRMAN. If there is no objection, it will go in the record. (The statement referred to is as follows:)

STATUS OF CONSTRUCTION OF 24 LEADING NATIONALLY

NUMBERED

HIGHWAYS

As an example of the situation of road construction throughout the Nation, I have prepared a map showing the status of construction of 24 of the leading nationally numbered highways-9 east and west and 15 north and south. This tabulation is based on reports as of January 1, 1926.

The 9 routes east and west have a total mileage of 23,610, while the 15 north and south have 21,742 miles. The east and west routes are 26.8 per cent paved, north and south routes are 37.3 per cent paved. The east and west routes are 36.9 per cent surfaced with sand clay, gravel, or water-bound macadam and the north and south routes are 34.6 per cent surfaced with like material. The east and west routes have 26 per cent graded and drained and the north and south routes have 14.7 per cent likewise ready for surface. While the north and south routes have a greater percentage of pavement the east and west routes have a less percentage unimproved, being 10.3 per cent over against 13.4 per cent.

A large per cent of the unimproved mileage on both the east and west as well as north and south roads is naturally in the sparsely settled portions of the Western States.

These 24 roads total 45,352 miles, which is more than 50 per cent of the entire mileage of the nationally numbered system. This mileage includes city pavements on routes 40, 50, and 81 only. Other routes mileage is outside of incorporated cities, but is otherwise approximately correct. Of the total mileage the improvements by types and percentage is as follows:

Paved: 31.8 per cent, or 14,438 miles.

Sand-clay, gravel, water-bound macadam: 35.8 per cent, or 16,241 miles.
Graded and drained: 21.2 per cent, or 9,606 miles.
Unimproved: 11.2 per cent, or 5,067 miles.

In detail the information concerning the improvement of these routes is as follows:

Route No. 1, from Fort Kent, Me., to Miami, Fla., 2,297 miles: Paved 926 miles, 40.3 per cent; gravel, sand-clay, and water-bound macadam, 867 miles, 37.7 per cent; graded and drained, 410 miles, 17.9 per cent; and unimproved, 94 miles, 4.1 per cent.

Route No. 11, from Rouses Point, N. Y., to New Orleans, La., 1,624 miles: Paved, 847 miles, 52.2 per cent; gravel, sand-clay, and water-bound macadam, 662 miles, 40 per cent; graded and drained, 95 miles, 5.8 per cent; and unimproved, 20 miles, 1.2 per cent.

Route No. 17, from Norfolk, Va., to Jacksonville, Fla., 748 miles: Paved, 260 miles, 34.7 per cent; gravel, sand-clay, and water-bound macadam, 315 miles, 42.1 per cent; graded and drained, 31 miles, 4.2 per cent; and unimproved, 142 miles, 19 per cent.

Route No. 21, from Cleveland, Ohio, to Yonassee, S. C., 699 miles: Paved, 346 miles, 49.6 per cent; gravel, sand-clay, and waterbound macadam, 141 miles, 20.3 per cent; graded and drained, 110 miles, 15.8 per cent; and unimproved, 100 miles, 14.3 per cent.

Route No. 31, from Mackinac, Mich., to Mobile, Ala., 1,293 miles: Paved, 599 miles, 46.3 per cent; gravel, sand-clay, and water-bound macadam, 453 miles, 35.1 per cent; graded and drained, 141 miles, 11 per cent; and unimproved, 98 miles, 7.6 per cent.

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Route No. 41, from Egg Harbor, Mich., to Naples, Fla., 1,871 miles: Paved, 665 miles, 35.6 per cent; graded and drained, 201 miles, 10.7 per cent; gravel, sand-clay, and water-bound macadam, 847 miles, 45.3 per cent; and unimproved, 157 miles, 8.4 per cent.

Route No. 51, from Hurley, Wis., to New Orleans, La., 1,298 miles: Paved, 559 miles, 43.1 per cent; gravel, sand-clay, and water-bound macadam, 425 miles, 32.8 per cent; graded and drained, 187 miles, 14.4 per cent; and unimproved, 126 miles, 9.7 per cent.

Route 61, from United States-Canadian line north of Grand Marias, Minn., to New Orleans, La., 1,741 miles: Paved, 433 miles, 24.9 per cent; gravel, sandclay, and water-bound macadam, 819 miles, 47.1 per cent; graded and drained, 394 miles, 22.6 per cent; and unimproved, 94 miles, 5.4 per cent.

Route No. 65, from St. Paul, Minn., to Vidalia, La., 1,119 miles: Paved, 370 miles, 33.1 per cent; gravel, sand-clay, and water-bound macadam, 402 miles, 35.9 per cent; graded and drained, 165 miles, 14.8 per cent; and unimproved, 181 miles, 16.2 per cent.

Route No. 71, from International Falls, Minn., to Baton Rouge, La., 1,594 miles: Paved, 181 miles, 11.4 per cent; gravel, sand-clay, and water-bound macadam, 854 miles, 53.6 per cent; graded and drained, 457 miles, 28.6 per cent; and unimproved, 101 miles, 6.4 per cent.

Route No. 81, from United States-Canadian line north of Pembina, N. Dak., to Laredo, Tex., 1,700 miles: Paved, 265 miles, 15.6 per cent; gravel, sand-clay, and water-bound macadam, 618 miles, 36.4 per cent; graded and drained, 427 miles, 25.1 per cent; and unimproved, 389 miles, 22.9 per cent.

Route No. 85, from United States-Canadian line north of Williston, N. Dak., to Bowie, Tex., 1,467 miles: Paved, 177 miles, 12.1 per cent; gravel, sand-clay, and water-bound macadam, 236 miles, 16.1 per cent; graded and drained, 620 miles, 42.3 per cent; and unimproved, 433 miles, 29.5 per cent.

Route No. 91, from Great Falls, Mont., to a connection with No. 66 near Goffs, Calif., 1,158 miles: Paved, 197 miles, 17 per cent; gravel, sand-clay, and waterbound macadam, 425 miles, 36.7 per cent; graded and drained 15 miles, 1.4 per cent; and unimproved, 520 miles, 44.9 per cent.

Route No. 99, from Blaine, Wash., to El Centro, Calif., 1,615 miles: Paved, 1,473 miles, 91.2 per cent; gravel, sand-clay, and water-bound macadam, 94 miles, 5.9 per cent; graded and drained, 47 miles, 2.9 per cent. There is no mileage unimproved.

Route No. 101, from Port Angeles, Wash., to San Diego, Calif., 1,512 miles: Paved, 849 miles, 53.2 per cent; gravel, sand-clay, and water-bound macadam, 458 miles, 34.1 per cent; graded and drained, 47 miles, 2.9 per cent; and unimproved, 157 miles, 9.8 per cent.

Route No. 10, from Detroit, Mich., to Seattle, Wash., 2,577 miles; paved 450 miles, 17.5 per cent; gravel, sand-clay, and water-bound macadam, 1,007 miles, 39.1 per cent; graded and drained, 961 miles, 37.3 per cent; and unimproved, 158 miles, 6.1 per cent.

Route No. 20, from Boston, Mass., to east gate, Yellowstone National Park, 2,137 miles: Paved 1,033 miles, 48.3 per cent; gravel, sand-clay, and water-bound macadam, 288 miles, 13.5 per cent; graded and drained, 503 miles, 23.6 per cent; and unimproved, 311 miles, 14.6 per cent.

Route No. 30, via 30 north from Atlantic City, N. J., to Astoria, Wash., 3,277 miles: Paved, 961 miles, 29.4 per cent; gravel, sand-clay, and water-bound macadam, 1,393 miles, 42.5 per cent; graded and drained, 630 miles, 19.2 per cent; and unimproved, 291 miles, 8.9 per cent.

Route No. 40, via 40 north from Atlantic City, N. J., to San Francisco, Calif., 3,256 miles: Paved, 1,077 miles, 33.1 per cent; gravel, sand-clay, and waterbound macadam, 912 miles, 28 per cent; graded and drained, 740 miles, 22.8 per cent; and unimproved, 525 miles, 16.1 per cent.

Route No. 50, via 50 north from Annapolis, Md., to Sacramento, Calif., 3,245 miles: Paved, 579 miles, 17.8 per cent; gravel, sand-clay, and water-bound macadam, 1,193 miles, 36.8 per cent; graded and drained, 1,082 miles, 33.4 per cent; and unimproved, 389 miles, 12 per cent.

Route No. 66, Chicago, Ill., to Los Angeles, Calif., 2,518 miles: Paved, 649 miles, 25.8 per cent; gravel, sand-clay, and water-bound macadam, 712 miles, 28.3 per cent; graded and drained 939 miles, 37.3 per cent; and unimproved, 216 miles, 8.6 per cent.

Route No. 70, from Morehead City, N. C., to Holbrook, Ariz., 2,322 miles: Paved, 591 miles, 25.4 per cent; gravel, sand-clay, and water-bound macadam, 772 miles, 33.3 per cent; graded and drained, 732 miles, 31.5 per cent, and unimproved, 226 miles, 9.8 per cent.

Route No. 80, from Savannah, Ga., to San Diego, Calif., 2,622 miles: Paved, 626 miles, 23.9 per cent; gravel, sand-clay, and water-bound macadam, 1,387 miles, 52.9 per cent; graded and drained, 466 miles, 17.8 per cent; and unimproved, 141 miles, 5.4 per cent.

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Route No. 90, from Jacksonville, Fla., to Van Horn, Tex., 1,654 miles: Paved, 315 miles, 19.1 per cent; gravel, sand-clay, and water-bound macadam, 952 miles, 57.6 per cent; graded and drained, 197 miles, 11.9 per cent; and unimproved, 189 miles, 11.4 per cent.

Mr. MARKHAM. That is all, and I wish to thank you for your consideration.