Suchergebnisse

Roads have been an essential part of transportation since man began to travel and to take his goods with him. This fact is sometimes obscured by the intense current preoccupation with motor vehicles which are often regarded as the cause of roads rather than instruments for utilization of roads. In any event, it is true that, with the advent of the motor vehicle, highways have become an increasingly important part of the nation's transportation system. That this tendency and importance will continue and even be accelerated is portended by the creation of the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways' and the state road programs now being undertaken in connection therewith. Under these circumstances it is certain that the interstate movement of persons and goods by motor vehicle will be expanded far beyond present activity and that licensing of interstate commercial vehicles and procedures to accommodate free movement of such vehicles will receive more attention from state governments' as developments progress. In the words of the Federal Highway Administrator, the problem of the states is the reconciliation of two "praiseworthy" objectives:"First, that of insuring the free movement of vehicles in interstate commerce; and second, that of requiring that all vehicles traveling in the state pay their due shares of user taxes for the support of the state's roads and streets."' He has also expressed the thought that''an increasing awareness of the federal road-user taxes will bring about a trend toward somewhat greater uniformity in states' schedules."

Our history affords numerous examples of efforts to secure state cooperation in the enforcement of federal laws, especially those marking abrupt changes in national policy. In practice, state cooperation has been most readily forthcoming in the administration of benefactory legislation. Most notably, federal grants-in-aid have been effective in helping to lift the standards of state services in such functional areas as highways, airports, public health, and agricultural technology. In another area, Selective Service has successfully employed local boards to enforce national policy. On the other hand, the Fugitive Slave law, the Civil Rights laws, National Prohibition, and the Emergency Price Control acts are reminders of the difficulties federal authorities have encountered in trying to enlist state aid in enforcement of national regulatory policies uncongenial to local sentiment. This article examines the experience under a permissive provision of the Fair Labor Standards Act, section 11(b), which authorizes the national government to reimburse state agencies aiding in enforcement.