New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-09-07
AUTO NEWS OF THE DAY
Modern Motor Car a Potent Fac
tor in Road Building.
FLORIDA NOW WAKES UP
of Glidden Tour
Arouses Activity in Improv-
ing Highways.

Jacksonville, Fla. Sept 6.--The great in
huence of the automobile as potent factor
In road building was never so pontedly
shown as In the activity which has followed
the announcement that the 1911 Glidden
tour would be run over the national high
way into Jacksonville, the metropolis OF
Florida
For many months good roads enthusiasts
have been agitating the paving and hard
surfacIng of stretch OF between IS and 20
miles to the Duvsl County line from the
city Of jacksonville. Nothing seemed 10 be
sufficient to arouse the county commission
ers to action Within three days after 1t
was announced that the Glidden tour would
! terminate In Jacksonville, public sentiment
compelled the county commissioners to call
a special meeting and let contracts for the
completion OF the entire stretch OF work
| within sixty days. at cost OF approx
mately s250,O0o. Part Of It is to be paved
with vitriffed brick.
Two months ago the assertion that this
would be done would have been considered
a Joke and engineers would have secuted
the time limit for the completion OF the
work as absurd and impossible. The county
had the money and required the road, and
now there are more than dozen big gangs
of men at work on the highway. 1t VIII be
completed we'll before the specified time, II
| there is no setback.
Other counties through which the tour
will pass have followed the same meth
DDS. and the Florida end Of the highway Is
already taking shape. Up through the
Georgia stretch the same conditions pre-
vail. The near approach Of the tour mas
stimulated sections Of the state not on the
highway TO construct good lateral roads
leading into the highway and TO Jackson
Vile. Other cities in Florida expect the
state to be filed with motorists this Win
ter. and they are undertaking TO make II
| possible for them TO take many enjoyable
one-day trips TO the various resorts.
Miami is seeking to have the national
| highway extended down the picturesque
eastern coast and northward from New
| York to complete the Miami
| highway. Enthusiastic meetings are being
| held in all the counties through which the
Miami extension would pass, and in a num-
Der of them long stretches Of the proposed
highway have already been completed
The good roads idea has caught on In the
remotest sections, and big bond issues are
being frequently announced. 1t is not an
exaggeration TO say that not less than 'p'-
600 Ooo worth of road work is either now
| in progress, already provided Tor py issues
| Of road bonds or in contemplation py ths
voters of Florida counties.
| There was time when automobiles SOLO
! at sight, with all responsibility thrown 10
the wind by the maker. But conditions IN
| all lines of business change as the enter
| Prise develops, and now the sale OF motor
cars depends upon the RELIABILITY eApeli-
ence and reputation OF the company a.
we'll as it's representatives. The successrul
manufacturer Of to-day, II able to DO So
points with considerable pride to the gen.
eral satisfaction his earlier models nave
| given and 10 their long life.
The last recapitulated statement OF the
number of automobiles being operated IN
New York state, as shown by the registra-
lions under the new law. contains total
| NJ over two hundred different makes
In an interview with c. s. Henshaw. OF
| tne New York Thomas branch, OH the SUD
ject of pioneer manufacturers ne SAID 1t
has been my experience that the oioer the
car the more attached the owner oecoines
to H. and instances can be named "here
our models nine or ten years OLD are re-
tanned by the original purchaser ana USED
as runabouts in a stable OF macnlnes' IN
fact. there are nearly a dozen or our ~"
TYNE running in this state to-day, Wmcn
e strong proof that long service energy
and LOYALTY will bring returns to any con-
Germ"