The Republican journal., 1908-07-02
international Road Congress.
President Roosevelt Names Commissioners
to Represent the U. S. Government

to Represent the U. S. Government
WASHINGTON, d. c., June o. Presl
dent Roosevelt has directed that this
Nation be strongly and officially repre-
scented at the International Roads Co..
gress to be held at Paris the week be- !
ginning October II, and credentials
have been issued naming Logan Waller
Page. Director of the Office of Public
Roads of the U. S. Department OF Agri
culture, Chairman of the Commission.
The other members named are Colonel
Charles S. Cromwell of the United
States Corps of Engineers, now serving
as Superintendent of Buildings and
Grounds of the District OF Columbia,
and Clifford Richardson of New YORK,
an eminent chemist and one of the
worlds acknowledged authorities on
bituminous road building materials.
This coming Congress, which will be
attended by distinguished delegates
from every country in the world, is re
garded by highway engineers aud ex-
perts as probably the most important
ever summoned for the discussion OF an
economic question. Its need IS the
direct outgrowth of the advent OF the
automobile, for while thousands are
ignorant of the fact, the soft tires OF
the modern motor-car are the greatest
menace the hard surface thoroughlales
of the world have ever been calleo up
on to face To understand how pneu7,
matte tire made OF rubber couia
nossiblv iniure a road surfaced with
particles of crushed rock, one must
have at least a faint understanding OF
tLe theories on which first TreSauget OF
limoges and then MacAdam OF Ayr
bnilt that class of highway. Ihey
tignrpd that road composed OF crush
ed stone would not only endure the con
slant traffic OF iron-tlred vehicles, out
would improve because the metal
bonud wheels would be constantly
crushing the stones and forming rock
dust. That dust would, they argued,
not merely sift itself into all cracks and
lnterstices. but would fill all surface III
pnualIties and when wet would be
rolled into a smooth, impervlous, water
shedding. shell-like surface.
They reasoned we'll, built wisely, and
for over a century and a quarter the So
called macadam road did everything
that the famous French and Scotch
highway engineers claimed it capable
of 1t came to be the ideal road for
suburban sections, and thousands OF
miles were built. France to date has
spent $500, 900, 900 on her Incompatible
system of rock-surtaced NaGlonal
routes and the United States has fol
lowed to a degree, possessing at the
present time approximately $4,000
miles of this class of highway.
Prior to the advent OF the automobile
the roads improved, but the modern
Lol
the suburban highways long before
pronounced retrogression of the most
generally travelled stretches was very
noticeable. Complaints came from
farmers and from jewellers along su-
burban roads that great dust nuisance
had also sprung up and that emerald
lawns were taking on the hue OF Lon
don fog and that box hedge was dove
grew rather than green. Fruit farmers
noted their products becoming gritty
and prices fell off.
Investigation proved at once that the
new conditions had been created by the
automobile and highway engineers III
every civilized land began studying the
new condition and seeking for remedy.
In this country Director Page conduc-
ted a series of interesting experiments
in which various classes of AUTOMOBILES
were sent at varying rates OF speed over
selected stretches of road, While expert
PHOTOGRAPHERS pictured their progress
and produced proof that the tractlye
force of the rear tires did the damage.
While he was Watching that work and
was experimenting with various dust
laying liquids, France was doing the
same on an even larger scale. That
country, which eXpends vast sums an
nuallv ON maintaining the well-nlgh
perfect system of highways 1t has been
building since the days of the first Ma
poleon, made a most complete set OF
measurements and learned that the
automobiles had caused the roads OF
the Republic to retrograde fully forty
per cent. 1t was decided to summon
the thought, skill and intelligence OF
the world to combat condition which
means great financial losses and the
official invitations to the Congress were
sent out. the French government for
malIy requesting the L. 5. government
to participate III the Congress.
That President Roosevelt is personal
" so deeply interested in the coming
gathering as to send the Director of
Roads and his distinguished associates
to France may by some be regarded as
evidence of a national awakening to the
vast Importance good roads are to the
nation.
Invitations have been transmitted
through the Office of Public Roads to
State Highway Commissioners, CITY
Engineers and Park Commissioners to
attend the Congress and already num-
Der of delegates have been selected.