The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-09
THATCHER ON WIDTH 0F PUBLIC HIGHWAYS Going to North Alabama on
 Speechmaking Tour NECESSITY FOR TREES Good Roads Advocate Says Pecan Trees Along Roads Could be Made Fruit
 full Source of Revenue
 in Jefferson
NECESSITY FOR TREES

T will leave in few days for a speech making tour through Blount, Cullman and Morgan countless said Charles w. Thatcher, the good roads man. yesterday. ''The delay in passing the bill creating a commission to handle the million-dollar bond issue for good roads is causing a delay in our campaign in Jefferson coun- ty thus giving me an opportunity to carry the fight into other localities
 "The subject of road maintenance is be- ing freely discussed by the people since they are in hope of having a modern system of roads in Jefferson This is, a timely subject and 1t is a problem which all road builders have been called upon as many would lead you to believe. And since Jefferson county has resolved to have good roads at any cost with honor let us do a little bit of common sense thinking.
 Naturally, a county with a growing city needs wide highways to meet the demands of the traffic of rapidly grow ing population. And these roads should be lined by a generous right-of-way. A nice wide highway closely bordered by jail like fences looks as unsightly and forelorn as a fine mansion huddled up between prison-lilxe walls with not even front yard. Life is too precious to spend in this manner when We can just as well surround ourselves with beauty and harmony.
 Narrow roads bespeak narrow minds C, will fo tlx toto of Kansas and you will find that every country road Is compelled by law to have a 90-foot rght-of-way. There let us go eastward where people are inclined to be more old-fashioned and you will find that the roadways become narrower in proportion to that states decrease in progress. In Illinois the roadways are 60 feet wide and in Indiana 30 feet. How much more enjoyable it is to drive along roads lined with parkways. And these parways are an investment that bring fabulous returns. Take city pfbperty that fronts on dark. dirty narrow stfeets and compare it with the value of property fronting on the South Highlands boule- yard and you have strong, eloquent ar gument favoring wide roadways.
 With wide roadway lined with cool ing shade trees every farm facing 1t IS increased in value from 50 to 300 per think?
 Now, everyone is growing tired of roads that seem to melt away after year of rainfall; and the serious side of this antiquated system of building roads
 is that it is extremely expensive and ir- ritating as well. When people spend large sums for roads they naturally want them to last And the way to reduce road maintenance to a minimum is to add binder. There are many good binders in use that are giving satisfactory results. Some of these are more expensive than others. Oil and. tar are used with most pleasing results. The most economical binder is product of nature. And this is found in great beds near Florence, Ala. It is a rock asphalt. Distributed through this valuable binder is rock which gives to it a compact body. Grind up this substance and Scatter it to about three ing and you have a binder that will last for many years with but slight repair.
 Tt should be rolled thoroughly with heavy weight steam roller And this will give to us a practically dustless roadway we'll This will save many lives and enhance many thousand fold the pleas- ure of travel. Only think of the many dangerous germs of disease that are scat tered broadcast in the houses bordering on we'll traveled highway In clouds of dust created by passing vehicles. A road way properly covered with Alabama rock asphaltum will give road that will re- quire little outlay for maintenance. And over this road automobiles can travel by the thousands with scarcely notice- able wear, saving for the county and city hundreds of thousands of dollars