The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-03-29
DUSTY ROADS MEAN
DISEASED CITIZENS
Faulty Highways Have No Place
In Nations Economics
CALIFORNIA; OILED ROADS
Oils With Petroleum Base Are Useless
on Roads, But AsphaItum Base
Makes Them Ideal Dust
Curber.

Washington. March 2s.-(Specia1)-"I
have noticed that wherever 1 see bad
roads I invariably see neglected, I'M
kept, unwashed children If l travel
along a good road | see children we'll
cared for. l do not say that one thing
directly follows the other, but they un-
doubtedly go together A community
that is negligent OF its roads will be
negligent of its children. and a COM
munity that is negligent of its children
will not produce good citizens, nor above
al things will it have high standard of
public health"
That seemingly long-distance observa-
ton on cause and effect was recently
voiced bp DR.. Alierton S. Cushman.
assistant director of the office of Public
Roads OF the United States Department
of Agriculture, at a meeting of the Amer
lean Public Health association.
DIR. Cushman was asked yesterday to
Justify the statement. 1T is, | think,
justified by day spent in an automobile
in any country section said he, land,
insisting as l do on the condition. l
think 1t has a bearing on the question so
frequently asked by unthinking Amer
leans: What possible relation can there
be between the public road and public
health?'
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 citizenship The rela-
ton of science to mundane things is evil
dent if one will use even a percentage of
the powers of deduction which Conan
DOYLE gave to Sherlock Holmes. Science
l. Odds in her archives a delightful little
story which well illustrates my purpose
1t is related that at one time the flavor
of the famous Staffordshire cheese mad
departed and a splendid industry was en-
dangered. Sir John Lubbock, the great
naturalist. made a prolonged investiga-
ton and finally reported to the farmers
that in his Judgment the best restorative
measures possible would be to import
great number of cats and set them free
in Staffordshire.
Naturally the unbelieving scoffed at
the proposed antidote, for they deemed
the suggestion ridiculous They asked
reason for so extraordinary prescrip-
ton.
The peculiar flavor of the Stafford
shire cheese comes from a hybrid clover
which formerly grew here in great album
dance said Lubbock. The bumblebee Is
the one means of cross-fertilizing that
clover The field mice have Increased
very rapidly in numbers of late and they
are destroying the nests of the humble
bees. If you can destroy the mice. the
bees can work on that clover and star
fordshire cheese will soon be as good as
ever. Get cats therefore
'.I don't vouch for the story, con-
tinued Dr. Cushman, Out | indorse ~
for it's power of illustrating the delicate
equilibrium which, under our complex
civilization. exists between the puphe
health and public utilities. ooo
Nobody will deny that the Zloo'VVV
miles of public roads of America constl-
tute the national dust factory and fur
nish fully ninety per cent of the dust we
inhale The delicate breathing apparatus
of the human body was never meant 10
harbor such substances as every passing
breeze blows from the thoroughiares anu
the percentage of people dying from as
ease carried by dust Is higher than Is
generally believed.
.when the public will concede that to
he a fact tine director OF public roads
and the state and county road buliders
and oyerseers will be given greater
degree of popular support than they now
receive. Tell the ordinary citizen or the
busy farmer that the bad, dust-heaVy
roads are not merely disagreeable but
dangerous to health as well, ana ne shllles
sarcastically and shifts the conversa-
ton. -.
..rrhe American becomes a skeptic
when YOU confront him with PROPOSE
ton. which, to him. is akin to the cals
az Staffordshire' II he doesn't under
stand what you are talking ABOUT, ne
assumes that you don't understand At
Yourself He finds dusty ROADS mem
ace only when it is brought home to MIN
that thew cost him money. That was
demonstrated to the orange growers Oh
California a few years ago Wnen GUST
covered fruit no longer commanded 50
high a price as when free from uust.
The result was an aroused interest In
road Improvement and In dust suppress
sion. Appeals on the score or cieanh-
ness and good health n-ver stirred the
California, but a slump in the price
OF oranges brought about wonderful
era of activity The outcome was graft
flying and California soon had dustless
oiled roads In that state the OILS pos
sess a higher asphaltum base than the
oils OF any other section or the Wofiu'
and when they are spread on the ROADS
the volatile portion of the OIL eVapofa.e
and the asphaltum remains as psiiu .''i
.iThe almost immediate success OF tns
plan attracted the attention OF highway
engineers throughout the world. IN
France and some of our eastern states It
was at once assumed that oiiing was tne
best road treatment and that the iongeo-
for solution of the dust nuisance problem
had been found.
"This has not been proved to be the
case. because in many localities the only
oil available possesses petroleum rather
than an asphaltum base It has peen
found that when the volatile portion
evaporates the oil left behind becomes
greasy and similar in consistency 10 vas
cline. Such quality of oil does not al
here and bind the road, but is picked UP