The San Francisco call., 1908-04-05
DUSTY HIGHWAYS
BAD FOR HEALTH
1Ood Roads Movement Points
Out Menace of Disease in
Flying Dirt
On Score of Cleanliness the
Public Interest Must
Be Aroused

aoriced that wherever ! see bad ROADS
7 Invariably see neglected. unkenpt.
u-zssshed children u travel along
= good road I see children well cared
To-. do not - that one thing direct
y follows the other, but they undoubt-
X 70 together A community that IS
negligent of It's roads viii be negligent
of SIS children. and g community that
IS negligent Of it's children VIII not
produce good citizens. nor. above all
fhings. viii II have q high standard Of
public health"
That seemingly long distance obser-
walton Or cause and effect was recently
voiced by Dr.. Allerton s Cushrnan.
assistant director of the Office OF public
ros6s of the United States department.
q agriculture. at a meeting Of the
American public heslrh association
D. cishms8 vas asked yesterday
20 Justify the statement It is.
think justified BY day spent an an
automobile n any country section.
said he and. insisting as do
~ the condition. think Il has bear
irg on the question so frequently
asked by unthinking Americans What
Eessihle relation can there he between
ne public road and public healthg
II the medical men Of the world
know what they are talking about tbs
- alton Is Intimate Dirt and dust
mean disease Cleanliness and ssni-
tsry Surroundings work for = better
-itfzeuship- The relation Of science 10
-nr1r dane things Is evident Z one VIII
1se even 3 percentage - the powers
u deduction which Conan DOYLE gave
ta sherlock Holmes Science holds II
-er archives a delightful little story
7hich vel illustrates my purpose. Il
related that ~ ore time the favor
- rh- famous StaTordshire cheese had
deps rte6 and 4 splendid industry was
Endangered. Sir John Lubbock the
E-ear naturalist. made prolonged in
restigarion and finally reported 10 The
farmers that fn his Judgment the best
restorative measure possible would be
80 import p great number OF cats ana
set them free in StsTordshire-
Naturally rhe unbelieving soo6sd At
the proposed sntidote. for they deemed
rne suggestion ridiculous They asked
? reason for SO extraordinary pre-
scTiption.
The peculiar favor OF the stafford
sli1e cheese comes from hybrid clover
20 hich formerly grew here in great
sbundsnce' said Lubbock The bum
i-Iebee IS the one means OF cross-fertil-
izinE that clover. The field mice have
Increased very rapidly in numbers OF
late and they are destroying the nests
~ the bunlblebeeS II you can destroy
r1e mice. the bees can work on that
clover and StsGordshire cheese viii
soon be IS good as ever Get cats.
therefore
= don't vouch for the story con
t-nued Dr. Cushmsn. but I indorse II
ro- fts power OF illustrating The deli
csre equilibrium which under our com
TleN utilization exists between the
2ubiic health and public utilities
Nobody viii deny that the ZI5e 600
miles o. public roads Of America con
siitlre the national dust factory and
furnish fully 80 per cent OF the dust
ne iahzie- The delicate breathing ap-
% rstus OF the human body was never
meant 70 harbor such substances as
every - assing breeze blows from TIE
tllorouEa fares and the percentage og
PEOPLE dying from disease carried by
dust Is higher than IS generally be-
lieved.
When the public viii concede that
10 be 4 fact the oiuector OF public roads
nd state and county road builders and
cverseers viii be given greater de-
gree OF popular support than they now
receive Tell the ordinary citizen. or
the busy farmer that the bad dust
rezv-v roads are not merely disagree
able but dangerous 10 health as well
snd ne smiles sarcssticsliy and shifts
rle conversation.
The American becomes \ skeptic
when you confront him with a pro-
position which 70 him is akin TO the
cats or StsHordshire II he doesn't
understand what you are talking about
he assumes that you don't understand
IL yourself He finds dusty roads &
menace only when IL IS brought home
10 him that they cost him money That
was demonstrated 10 the orange grow
ers Of California a few years ago when
sust-covered fruit no longer com
nanded 50 high price as when free
from dust The result was an aroused
Interest in road Improvement and in
dust suppression Appeals on the score
of cleanliness and good health never
stirred the Californisns. but q slump in
the price OF oranges brought about
wonderful era OF activity The out
come was gratifying and California
soon had dustless oiled roads. In that
state the oils possess higher ssphal-
tum base than the oil OF any other
section Of the world. and when they
are spread on the roads the volatile
portion Of the oil evsporates ana the
azphaltum remains as a 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 Il was az once as
suned that oiIing was the best road
treatment and that the longed for
solution OF the dust nuisance problem
rad been found
This has not been proved 70 be the
case because IN many localities the
only oil available possesses q petro-
cum rather than an asphaltum base
Il has been found that when the vola-
tile portion evaporates the oil left be-
hlnd becomes greasy and similar in
consistency 20 vaseline- Such quality
OF oil does not adhere and bind the
road. but IS picked Up and scattered by
passing traffic. and the man who gets
a reasonable quantity Of IL on his
clothes becomes firm enemy 10 road
oiiing.
#. then. ss doctors say. dust means
lirts dirt means disease. and disease
means death. dusty roads have no
place IN our national economies.
When a fair percentage Of the think
ing men and women OF the country
grasp those truths thus interestingly
i-Oiced by Dr.. Cushman, a determined
effort viii be made 10 secure clean and
EustIeEs roads.
BOOK AUCTION BACK IN 1872
John Montgomerie. governor OF the