The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1908-09-09
VALUE OFGOODROADS SURFACING OF ROADS
Dusty Highways Mean Disease,
Says Government Expert.
VALUE OF IMPROVING THEM.

Where Thorouohfares Arc Good Chill
dren Are Clean and Well Cared
For and Vice Vorsa--How California
Learned an Economic Lesson.
II have noticed wherever see bad
roads / invariably see neglected, un-
kempt, unwashcd children. II travel
along good road see children well
cared for. i do not say TINT one d.
rectly follows the other. but they un-
doubtedly go together. a community
that Is negligent of It's roads will be
negligent OF its children, and COM
munlty that Is negligent of Its children
will not produce good citizens, nor,
nboye all things. will it-have high
standard of public health"
This observation on cause and effect
was made by DIR. Allcrton 8. Cushmnn,
assistant director of the Office of pub
lie roads OF the United States depart
ment of agriculture, mt n meeting of
the American Public Health associa-
tion.
DIR. Cushmnn was asked to justify
the statement. at Is. think. justified
by a day spent In an automobile In
any country section" said-hc, "and, In.
sisting as 1 do on the condition, 1
think II has bearing ON the question
SO frequently asked by unthinking
Americans, What possible relation
can there be between tho public road
and public healthT
"If the medical men of the world
know what they nrc 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, II one will use
even percentage of the powers of de-
ductIon which Conan Doyle gave to
Sherlock Holmes. Science holds in her
archives a delightful little story which
we'll illustrates my purpose. 1t Is re-
lated that at one time the flavor of the
famous Staffordshlre cheese had de-
parted and splendid Industry was
endangered. Sir John Lubbock, the
great naturalist, made prolonged In
vestigation and finally reported to the
farmers thnt In his Judgment the best
restorative measure possible would be
to import n great number of cats and
sot them free I'm Stafrordshlrc.
"Nnturnlly the unbellcving scoffed Mt
the proposed antidote, for they deemed
the suggestion ridiculous. They asked
a reason for so extraordinary pre-.
scriptlon.
"The peculiar flavor of the Stafford
shire cheese comes from hybrid clo
yer which formerly grew here in great
abundance said Sir John. The bum
L., o I.
lizIng thut clover. The field mice have
increased very rapidly In numbers of
late, and they are destroying the nests
OF the bumblebces II 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 DIR. Cusllman, "but indorse 1t
for It's power of illustrating the dell
cate equilibrium which under our com
pick civilization exists between the
public health and public utilities. No
body will deny that the 100000 miles
Of public roads of America constitute
the national dust factory and furnish
fully 90 per cent of the dust we In
hale. The delicate breathing appara-
tus OF the human body was never
meant to harbor such substances as
every passing breeze blows from the
thoroughfarcs, and the percentage OF
people dying from disease carried by
dust Is higher than Is generally be-
llevcd.
"Whcn the public will conccde that
to be a fact the director of public
roads and tho state and county road
builders and ovcrscers Will get great
er degree of popular support than they
now receive. The American finds
dusty roads menace only when 1t Is
brought home to him that they cost
him money. Tint was demonstrated
to the orange growers of California
few years ago. when dust covered fruit
no longer commanded so high price
as when free from dust. The result
was an aroused interest In road I'M
provemeHt and In dust suppression.
Appeals on the score of cleanliness and
good health never stirred tho Callfor-
mans, but slump In the price Of
oranges brought about wonderful
era OF activity. The outcome was
!, gratifying and California soon had
dustless, oiled roads. In that state
the oils possess higher asphaltum
base than the oils of any other section
of tho world, and when they arc
spread on the roads the volatile por-
tlon OF the oil evaporatcs and the as
phaltum remains ns binder.
"The almost immediate success of
this plan attracted the attention Of
highway engineers throughout the
world. In France and some of our
eastern states 1t was at once assumed
that oiling was the best road treat
ment and that the longcd 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 nn nsphaltum base. 1t
has been found that when the yoIa.
tile portion cvaporatcs the oil left be.
hind becomes greasy and similar in
consistency to vascllnc. Such quality
OF oil does not adhere and bind the
road, but Is picked up and scattered
by passing traffic.
"If, then, as the doctors say, dust
means dirt, dirt means disease, and
disease means death, dusty roads have
.. - ,,I,oo a., our notIonoI npOnOmiCan