The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-15
AMONG The AUTOMOBILISTS.
GOVERNMENT AIDS MOVEMENT
FOR BETTER HIGHWAYS.
Department OF Agriculture Maintains ONCE
OF Public Road Inquiries to Give Advice
-Lancia Predicts Next Vanderbilt
Gun Race VIII BE Held In This Country.

Though the United States Government
does not take the direct interest in the high
ways Of this country that the governments
Of most European countries do, IL does pay
some attention to this very important sub
Ject. In the Department OF Agriculture AT
Washin gton is maintained the ONCE OF Pub
lie Road Inquiries, the work of which is pri-
marily educational in character, its province
being to detail engineers and experts to give
Information and advice. Whenever there Ia
any question as to- what road material IL
best suited for the local conditions. samples
Of all the available materials may be sent TO
the laboratory of the office, where tests VIII
be made to .determ mine the selection OF the
hest material. In the majority Of cases the
detail of an engineer or expert 10 make a
preliminary investigation and give advice
Is all that is required.
There are, however, communities where
II has been found advisable to supplement-
advice by a practical demonstration oil enec-
tive road building, To meet this need the
object lesson method was adopted on the
f%ollowing plan. A section Of road Is selected
for Improvement, and after the proper sur
yeys and estimates have been made by an
engineer Of the Office, expert foremen and
machinery operators are sent out In charge
of modern road building machinery. and the
local officials are taught by actual demonstra-
ton every step In the proper construction OF
a road. Absolutely no expense IL incurred
by the Federal Government in this work.
except for the salaries and expenses OF the
Government employees. the local
ties being required TO furnish the right OF
way, all common labor, materials. teams,
&c, used in the work. The total number OF
experimental and object lesson roads built
under the direction Of the office since It's Or
SANITATION Is n~inety-six. the roads having
been built In twenty-eight different states.
Tka paaN.-gaIa gaaA1 In nnnGNTnCflOn were
gravel. stone. shells, brick. mari. Stag. tar.
oil. sand. clay and steel track
y vincenzo Lancia. who finished second in
the Vanderbilt cup race with a FIAT racer:
has been visiting Chicago with Nazzaro ana
CagnO. who were also members OF the Italian
team. He expressed the opinion that next
years contest for the Wander bilt cup would
b. held in this country, saying: There IL
not much chance Of the race being run any
where except in America Neither broTTS ShSe
the race for the simple reason that % y an
advantage TO them in the matter Of trade 70
they are attempting to sell their cars IN COM
petition with the American product, VII 10
them far more good than a WIN aproap'
Becn use there is some doubt regarding
Just what the provisions ofthe German smt0-
mobile Club OF Germany has written the
following explanatory letter: -As a COnI
enera bic amount OF uncertainty eAlSts aUloou
regarding the taxation OF autOmobiles ehteI-
ing Germany and as TO the term OF duTatIbn
Of the tax passes or permits which have { , ne
taken out az the frontier customs stations
we take the liberty Of forwarding the loliPM-
ing Information. The automobile tax aw
which cam In force on July 1 OF the present
year IN German stipulates that pvrmlts
must be taken ont for automobiles Of owners
living abroad. The taxes 10 be paid are as
follows For q soiourn IN German n1t ~
Ceedlug five days. %, and for n spIourn btsttnk
trpm FIVE 10 thirty. days. - for each an,Imio-
bile. These permits are issied on tue pay
ment Of the dues az the. German irohtltI
custom houses. In regard 70 the duratlet
~ such permits erroneous views preNAl
abroad and we should especially Ike 70 point
,pt that para grnph 10 Of the hw states
that the dye or thirty days fos which the per-