The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1908-12-10
VALUE OF GOOD ROADS
Dusty Highways Mean Disease,
Says Government Expert.

Says Government Expert.
VALUE OF IMPROVING THEM.
Where Thoroushfares Are Good Chill
dren Are Clean and Well Cared
For and Vice versa-How California
Learned an Economic Lesson.
Il have noticed wherever l see bad
roads l invariably see neglected, un-
kempt, unwashed children II travel
along good road l see children well
cared for. do not say that one d.
rectly follows the other, but they un-
doubtedly 60 together. A community
that is negligent of Its roads will be
negligent Of its children, and a CON-
munity that is negligent Of Its children
will not produce good citizens, nor.
above all things, will it have high
standard of public health"
This observation on cause and effect
was made by Dr. Allerton s. Cushman,
assistant director Of the Office of pub
lie roads Of the United States depart
ment OF agriculture. at meeting of
the American Public Health associa-
ton.
DR.. Cushman was asked to Justify
the statement. 1T is. / think, justified
by day spent In an automobile In
any country section" said he, "and. in
sisting as l do on the condition,
think it has bearing on the question
so frequently asked by unthinking
Americans, What possible relation
can there be between the public road
and public healthY
IF the medical men of the world
know what they are talking about the
relation is intimate. Dirt and dust
mean disease. Cleanliness and sanitary
surroundings work for better citizen
ship. The relation Of science to mum
dane things is evident, If one will use
even percentage of the powers Of de-
duction which Conan Doyle gave to
Sherlock Holmes. Science holds In her
archives delightful little story which
well illustrates my purpose. It is re-
lated that at one time the flavor Of the
famous Staffordshire cheese had de-
parted and a splendid industry was
endangered. Sir John Lubbock. the
great naturalist, made prolonged in
vestigation and finally reported to the
farmers that In his judgment the best
live -
to import a great number Of cats. and
set them free in Staffordshire.
Naturally the unbelieving scoffed al
the proposed antidote, for they deemed
the suggestion ridiculous. They asked
reason for SO extraordinary a pre-
scription.
1.-THE peculiar flavor Of the Stafford
shire cheese comes from a hybrid clo-
yer which formerly grew here in great
abundance said Sir John. The bum
blebee is the one means of cross ferti.
lizing that clover The field mice have
increased very rapidly in numbers Of
late. and they are destroying the nests
of the bumbiebees. If you can destroy
/ the mice. the bees can work on that
clover, and Staffordshire cheese will
soon be as good as ever. Get cats
therefore,
II don't vouch for the story" con-
| tinued DR.. Cushman. "but indorse II
| for it's power of illustrating the deli.
| cate equilibrium which under our com
| plex civilization exists between the
public health and public utilities. No
body will deny that the 2.15O,00O miles
the national dust factory and furnish
fully 80 per cent of the dust we In
| hale The delicate breathing. appara
/ tus of the human body was nevel
meant to harbor such substances al
| every. passing breeze blows from the
people dying from disease carried b,
dust is higher than is generally be
lieved.
when the public will concede tha
to be fact the director Of publ,
roads and the state and county roat
er degree Of popular support than the.
now receive The American find
| dusty roads a menace only when 1t l
brought home to him that they cos
him money That was demonstrates
to the orange growers Of California
few years ago. when Gust covered frui
no longer commanded so high Il pric
as when free from dust The rcsul
was an aroused interest in road inl
provement and in dust suppression
Appeals on the score Of cleanliness an
coed health never stirred the Calff0l
mans. but slump in the price Q
oranges brought about i WoEderfr
era Of activity. The outcome wa
gratifying and California soon ha
dustless. oiled roads In that stat
the oils possess q higher asphaltul
base than the oils of any other sectio
Of the world. and when they al
spread on the roads the volatile po
ton Of the oil evaporates and the a
phaltum remains as binder.
THE almost immediate success (
this plan attracted the attention {
highway engineers throughout Il
world. In France and some Of OF
eastern states 1t was at once assume
that oiling was the best read trea
ment aud that the loEged for solutie
of the dust nuisance problem had bet
found This has not been proved to
the case. because in many localities Il
only oil available possesses petroieu
rather than. an asphaltum base.
has been found that when the vol
tile portion evaporates the oil left b