San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-05-10
The ROAD PROBLEM.

Texas needs instruction In today Is In
the art of constructing and maintain.
ing good roads. No lessons are re.
quired to teach the need of good
roads, that lesson has been ingrained
into the consciousness of everyone
who has travelled by private convey
ance in Texas, and may be said to be
the crying need of the day. A move
ment is on foot TO present at the
Worlds Columbian Exposition sue b
an arrangement and classification of
roadmaking appliances In distinct
department. as to command the at.
tention and specific consideration of
all visitors. Under the present ar
rangement of the Columbian EXPOSE
ton directory, the exhibits under this
class, road making, are scattered
through five enormous buildings,
covering in the aggregate an area of
almost eighty acres. 1t, is desired,
however, to present, in one collection,
or at least within one building, all
the road-making appliances of the
exposition. A circular letter has
been issued from Boston calling at.
tention to the necessity of such ex.
hibit, and asking the press of the
country to stir up the minds of the
people of the several states to the me-
cessity of action in this matter. The
task seems rather hopeless one for
Texas, inasmuch as comparatively lit.
tie has been done by the citizens of
the state at large to prepare for
the regular exhibits of the state, and
the inference is plain that If 80
little attention has been paid to the
call for the county pro rata payment,
o call for special road exhibit will
elicit little response. While this may
be true, it is also true that Texas is
largely interested in this proposed
exhibit. Her roads are execrabIe, she
is losing millions every year because
she has no properly constructed couD-
ty roads, while an interstate road
over which travel would be easy and
comfortable at all seasons is thing
that seems hardly to be thought Of.
No improvement thss could be made
would so. greatly aid the farmers OF
this and other states as that which
would give all as good roads as are
found today in the central section of
Europe, and even in the poorest dis
tricts of Ireland and Italy. Such q
road exhibit, as is proposed, would no
doubt be powerful factor in bringing
at out state and national legislation
for the construction and main
tainance of good roads, and II by
any means the directors of the
Texas department can see their way
clear to advance the interest of this
movement for comprehensive road
exhibit, they will very materially
advance the interests OF the state.
This exhibit should comprise
examples of road making, construct
ion of roads in actual process of build
| ing, character of heavy freight
vehicles that are allowed to traverse
the road beds OF the old world, best
machinery and material for construc-
ton of roads, grades and form of
road beds, and all other matters
necessary to give succinct and COM
prehensive view of all that pertains
to the construction of perfect roads.
That Texas needs such roads in com.
mon with all the other mtates of the
Union is selfevident; that such light
can be thrown on this subject and
useful information collected by such
an exhibit is equally apparent; what
Texas will contribute towards the
making of such an exhibit is not so
apparent.
THE Ladies department of the
Worlds fair exhibit has in hand q
state elocu tionary and oratorical coz
test, to be held in Austin on the IL,