The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-07-28
IWERICiS no tbs.
why Do We Net keep Dur IiiEh~aSs Do
RrpsIr After building Them Weli.


There are stretches Of good road quite
. few ot thea. CROUCH AZ any rate 20 satisfy
any On" that "" know "a good road when
No. 80. Il and that w. know very well how
In bulld roads. nut when ". have built the
road re hav" shot our bolt We are like
th" fellow who when he had renewed a note
s1id To himsslf Thank God. that's paid :
:" when we have finished the construction
Of good road We Say. That's finished :
and ~ "" regard n not only As finished but
a. finished Tor all time
Nit"r u while holes. hummocks and other
Irregularities appear on the surface Of the
road. masking travel over u uncomfortable
DO Ne IN ~ | guess not That road was
we'll built. ani like the rruew ed note u re-
puirr- no further attention A. last " gets
80 bad a. 10 hr'ome unsafe Then w. put
up SIGNS Street closed. and devote several
months not 10 repairing u hut tn rebuild
ng recall a ease immediately In point
Ndl-dalr avenue, Just east Of jamaica
Inv" good road. u wa7 permitted to fall
Into IA" condition above Described II now
ha, and has had Tor several months the sign
Street Cioa~d- on II. while II IA being not
repaired but rebuilt. an unnecessary waste
Of time and money
While motoring IN Europe In England
and on the Continent | was struck by the
very few times I was confronted nv this
~,gn. and then for very short stretches
They -erm To- have faculty there. which -
noticeahly lacking here Of keeping their
roads in repair - that there IL no necessity
"f closing them up for months at a time
u II the tnVarIabls custom in this country
| don't know why. Of never keeping a
public highway in repair We say In our
defence aud as an excuse we Americans
are good eNou--rs when our conduct IL
criticised on hut you must remember
that W. are "A Young country. While Europe
- an old country aud has been at work for
wears ON it- roads What under tho sun
that has To 40 with the question puzzles
me W. know how To build road Just -
we'll as the Europeans 10 We have demon
~trat"d that fart tnnumersble times have
seen many stretches OF road VA this country
that cOupar" most faNoTably with any road
% be- 'ound IA Europe. but when We come
=" a good continuous road the comparison
cease and are not on the ssme earth
have motOT-d a great deal In this country
east Of the Allegheny Mountains. and have
never seen a good road in all my travels
I have also nntOr"d a great deal in Europe
outside of Russia. and | have never seen
poor road The cause for this difference IL
not that W. don't build good roads hut that
WD don't keep them good They do
have in mind now a stretch or road
loading from Milford TO New Haven recently
constructed challenge any one to pro-
aI'c o more perfect piece OF road than this.
,-' IA couple Of Years. " our LONG con
;,nY-,i methods are adhered 10. u will no
unfit for travel
knew two wears ago Of a similar stretch
Of road from w--tport River Ia southport
IN connecticut n had iust been con-
>'ruDt"d and wAs then ON "A par with the
road from Milford 20 New Haven had
90 aston tp drive over tins stretch OF West
port road uult- recently It, condition IL .
DISGRACE To a civilized communltv Two
wears from nov the road from Milford 20
N"S Haven vii b" IN th" same d"plorable
condition speak advi-edly. for ! have
--rn thus result occur on very many occa-
~.on-
i~iy any one 10 produce much worse
stretch Of road than that from New York
,Ify 90 tar.l"u city. l. have passed
over the road frequently IN tho last few
cars ~ Vaz q good road for a Sc hilc after
- ,uus'r'i.tlon. hui utter In, K 81 attention
has rnd4. 81 ~ Ia an even ~or-H condition
han tho road from W-s'por' 20 Southport
what = the rrm"iv for mis- state Of al
fairs ms question - easily AnsNcred
GO 30 EUROPE and md ont how Ia Keep NJ a
good road We vent there to ind out how
to make good roads Why not 20 there and
nut out how TO keep them so' II must he
heaper. II j. certainly more convenient. 20
s""p road m repair than ~ - to leave q,
untru, h-d for couple ~ Years ~ longer
land then To- tear ~ ny ami rebuild II. what
- the DIGESTION to having our roads cont n
ally ratroIl~i ny ne number - men n~""s.
AN 80 r"u them ~ good order. providing
the men. ~ .our-". With sufficient material
and -uirahls toui-'
IrgS method - followed Nv alt 81 the rail
roads mot a. Z ,oUNauIeu'a bpt A. neca--
-rfy sine" ~" appearance ~ motor cars
no -p""'i pu orlr htghwsy- frequently equals
'ht' pi TtllNNN trains What objection ~
They" to masking Tho highways "a -afe
and 80 comfortable - travel over ~ are the
rrt,ks ct u railway. The only oh,er',on
thai D,,u~- 10 me = that he railroads make
lS pay "a rae over their lines. while We can
ride over the highways Tor nothing
Ihis brings m" to tho only solution nf the
problem that uun'ronis vs. Assuming that 40
continue tu refus. To- follow the example tIr-
ul-n.d w. hy Europ" make all uf our much
Unveiled highways toll roads I an hear
no shouts Of iisnpprovAl AZ the mere sug-
va-tI1u. ana admit that II il most dis.
tasteful remedy bu' What are We 80 do
severe Diseases demand severe remedies
Ihl- j. especially true when the disease has
hitherto been found in.urshls
/ wrote IA article last winter niCh APP
reared ia the isb Journal published by
The Automobu" club Of America In this
article | advocated an Individual or a cor
uuratton obtaining from the Legislature =
charter permitting a lease TO that individual
OF ,urporation Of whatever extent ~ high
way - desired put'ing 'he leased highway
~ good condition. keeping ~ -. and allow -
ING The individual or corporation 10 charge
q reasonable amount ~ toll for its use the
toll not to he collected II the highway was
not IN good condition and - condition 10
hc determined hy inspectors appointed nv