The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1908-06-12
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT
NAMES COMMISSION TO
FRENCH ROAD
CONGRE SS
CONGRESS.

CONGRESS TO BE HELD AT PARIS
IN OCTOBER.
. WASHINGTON, d. C.-President
Roosevelt has directed that this
Nation be strongly and officially
represented at the international
Road Congress to be held at Paris
the week beginning October IL, and
credentials have been issued naming
Logan Waller Page, Director OF the
Office of Public Roads of the U. D
Department of Agriculture, Chair
man of the Commission. The other
members named are Colonel Charles
S. Bromwell 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 author
tiles on bituminous road building
materials.
This coming Congress, which will
be attended by distinguished dele
gates from every country IN the
world, is regarded by highway en-
gineers and experts as probably the
most important ever summoned Tor
the discussion of an economic ques-
ton. Its need is the direct out
( growth of the advent of the auto
mobile, for while thousands are
ignorant of the fact, the soft tires
of the modern mOtOr-car are the
greatest menace the hard surface
thoroughfares of the world have
ever been called upon to face. To
understand how a pneumatic tire
made oftrubber could possibly in
jure a road surfaced with particles
of crushed rock, one must have at
least faint understanding of the
theories on which first Tresauget of
Limoges and then MacAdam of
Ayr built that class of highway.
They figured that a road composed
of crushed stone would not only en-
dure the constant traffic of iron
tired vehicles, but would improve
because the metal-bound wheels
would be constantly crushing the
stones and forming rock dust. That
dust would, they argued, not mere
ly sift itself into all cracks and
but would fill all surface
and when wet would
be rolled into a smooth, impervious, F..
understanding, shell-like surface.
They reasoned well, built wisely, |
and for over a century and a quar-
ter the so-called macadam road did |
everything that the famous French |
and Scotch highway engineers
it capable Of. 1t came to be
the ideal road for suburban sections,
and thousands of miles were built.
France to date has spent 5000 ,OOO,-
300 on her incompatible system of
'ock-surfacedt National routes and
he United States has followed to a
legree, possessing at the present
line approximately $4,000 miles of
his class of highway.
Prior to the advent of the auto
mobile the roads improved, but the
modern speed vehicle had not been
reversing the suburban highways
ong before a pronounced retro
yression of the most generally trav-
lied stretches was very noticeable.
Complaints came from farmers and
rom dwellers along suburban roads
hat a great dust nuisance had also
prung up and that emerald lawns
we're taking on the hue of London
og and that box hedge was dove
,rey rather than green. Fruit
armers noted their products be-
coming gritty and prices fell off.
Investigation proved at once that
he new conditions had been created /
" the automobile and highway ,
ngineers in every civilized land ,
,egan studying the new condition :
nd seeking for a remedy. In this
ountry, Director Page conducted I
series Of interesting experiments
n which various classes of automo- Y
lies were sent at varying rates of /
peed over selected stretches of f
DAD, while expert photographers r
pictured their progress and pro- 7
uced proof that the tractive force n
f. the rear tires did the damage.
While he was watching that work
nd was experimenting with vari-
us dust laying liquids, France was =
DING the same on an even larger
Gale. That country, which expends I
asst sums annually on maintaining Z,
he well-nigh perfect system of high q
'ays it has been building since the
avs OF the first Napoleon, made a "
lost complete set of measurements a
nd learned that the automobiles =,
ad caused the roads of the Repub- 4
C to retrograde fully forty per cent. r,
was decided to summon the r.
lought, skill and intelligence of .,
ne world to combat a condition h,
hich means great financial losses r
nd the official invitations to the =,
ongress were sent out, the French h,
ovemment formally requesting the or
. ;. Government to participate In Ar
le Congress. m
That President Roosevelt IS per- h,
lnally SO deeply interested in the h,
ming gathering as to send the NJ
ireetor of Roads and his distin- in