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AORICUr.TURAL APPKUPRIATION BlIJ^ 11124. 349 



Mr. liucHANA.N. I mil tiilkinj; tihout thr wi'i^'lit of tru(-k.H iu»w. 



Mr. MacDon.m.I). Yvh, sir. 



Mr. HrciiA.NAN. 'Vlwy pr.-K i i<iilly all have n lnw with n-^Mr-! ' 

 the weight of trucks ? 



Mr. MacDovaM). Yos; practicully all «»f tin* Stuti's have rofjulii- 

 lorv laws on tlu- \v«M>jht.s of trinks. 



Mr. Hi ( HANA.N. Tlu'ii, it i.>^ |)nu-tirally up l«) llu- Stuli; to lirU-r- 

 uiiiu" wlu'tlier any of its citi/.ons, or any •>tlier ritizms violatr any 

 law, ami prosecute thciu for it '. 



Mr. M.vcDoNAi.i). V«>s, sir. 



Mr. Bi « iiANA.N. riuil is a criminal stalulf, i.s it not < 



Mr. MacDonaU). Yes, sir. No, if you take the cold law for it, 

 I supj)os(' that would not he true; hut these laws are not the result 

 of investif^ations and scientific deterniiiuitions, but simply opinions 

 that were written into laws. The de-^ire-^ of the Slates are to secure 

 a law that is based ui)on careful and accurate studies. 



Mr. BrciiANAN. Then, this is true, is it not, that you are taking 

 a census of the traflic, and so f(»rth, with a view or arriving; at what 

 oueht to be the law f 



Mr. MaiDonald. Yes, sir. 



Mr. Bi'CHANAN. Now, does the department j^reinid to have any 

 power itself to j)rescribe any rules and regulation- for the trallic, 

 or as to what shall be the loads for these trucks^ 



Mr. MacDon.vld. It is a part of our duty under the law to investi- 

 i;ate and make rec(mimendations as to the retjulations which should 

 be made ef lee live. 



Mr. Anderson. Yes; you have got that power. 



Mr. BiTiiAXAX. That i.s what I am trying to get at. 



Mr. AxDEUsox. "^'ou have that power. 



Mr. BuciLVXAX. What I am trying to get at is as to whether yon 

 have anv power to prescribe traffic regulations or not. 



Mr. ^^\('DoxALD. No, sir. Not to prescribe regulations. 



Mr. AxDKnsox. You have power to make investigation and recom- 

 mend regulations as to what the rules and regulations ought to be. 



Mr. MacDox.vld. Yes, sir: that is true. 



Mr. Bi'CHAXAX. Now, you say you have no power; that is. unless 

 that power is conferred by an act of Congress. Do you think that 

 this is a subject as comes under the jurisdiction of a Stated 



Mr. MacDoxald. We have no power under an act of ('ongress to 

 prescribe these rules. 



Mr. Bi'cHAX.vx. Mav(» you ever tiiouglit of the (piestion, then, of 

 the Federal (lovernment regulating the traflic loails on roads where 

 Federal money goes into the road ? 



Mr. M.vcDoxALi). \'ery seriously, sir. I have given it serious con- 

 sideration, yet 1 hesitate to place anything in the record at this time. 



Mr. BuciiAXAX. There is no use of hesitatintj. We have got to 

 face it sooner or later. It is a matter that we nave got to consider 

 sooner or later, and there is no use of hesitating. We might just as 

 well come right out and consider it imw. 



INIKOR.M TRAKFir REOCLATIUN s on hKPKKAL Ml> l<iiM'^. 



Mr. Mac'Doxali). Under that a.ssumption. it is with the idea of 

 ultimately fixing uniform traflic regulations, that we are carrying 

 on these studies in the vaiious parts of the countiv. We believe 



