Evening star., 1911-08-13
hrouch which the four will pass.

\ InfOuRn wn1cn the tour Will pass.
| That the good roads movement. al
ready most active in the south, Will re-
ceive a great stimulus as result OF
| the tour Is certainty, ana the many
1 inquiries already received FOR fuii IN
| formation as to details and conoitions
indicate a large and representative entry
] list Of individual owners. so great rs
| the interest that has been arouseo In
the south by the anticipated coming OF
the tour that a score of southern cltles
are now vieing with each other In pre-
senting their claims for the best roaos
and best routes, and while the tour can
not be run so as to satisfy them al.
great object lesson is afforded OF tne
much road Improvement is sure TO 1oi-
low.
The national tours In the past have
extended as far north as Maine. Que.
bee. Canada and Minneapohs. alIas Miin'
| west to Denver and southwest to DaiIas,
Tex. and 1t is now fitting that tne
national tour should be run over tne
national highway to the south. connect
ing the great city of New YORK WIN
the live southern metropolis of Atlanta.
and with Jacksonville, the gateway
Of Florida's famous winter resorts,
which are the mecca OF so many nortH
ern tourists who seek the land where IL
II always summer.
The route Of the national highway en-
braces ten states-New York. New Jersey
Pennsylvania Maryland, West Virginia,
Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina,
Georgia and Florida : and presents as
varied conditions OF scenery as any tnat
can be chosen. In addition, 1t anords
veritable lesson in early American history
It passes the battlefields of Gettysburg
and Antietam and also the revolutionary
battlefield Of Guilford Court House. ana
follows the Shenandoah valley, wnich Is
replete with historic wartime sites anu
heAGf1-
full valley. the route passes directly acIoss
the famous Natural bridge or virginia,
and south OF Roanoke there is mountain
scenery a plenty. while here one se.s
in intimate touch with the HARDY virginia
lmountaineer The famous tobacco region
| of northern North Carolina is traversed'
| and fine macadam roads lead through
this section south through the cornneios
Of South Carolina and into the cotton
| fields of southern South Carolina. Cotton
mills are to be found in most OF the
towns along the line, and a prosperity
undreamed Of a few years ago Is every
where evident.
RECOGNISING the American Association
for Highway Improvement as the natlonai
good roads organization OF America, the
Permanent International Association OF
Road Congresses, in which thirty-fve ma
tions are officially represented. has desig-
mated 1t to be the correspondent or the
international body in the United states.
In letter just received by j. e. Penny
American Association for Highway Inn
provement, the president OF the interna-
tional association. who is also inspector
general of the superb road system OF
France. says:
eve propose to consider your associa-
ton as our correspondent in the United
States, and to depend on 1t to harmonize
the studies which 1t has undertaken with
those which are proceeding in the dill
ferent countries represented In the per-
manent International association.
The letter calls attention to the fact
that the United States is the one great
power that is not officially represented IN
the international association to whlcn
other nations have designated represenIa-
tiyes through diplomatic channels The
international association was formed 1or
the purpose of international cooperation
and exchange of thought and experience
in road building, and the greatest en-
gineers and scientists of the world have
attended the great road congresses that
have already been held. The first con-
gress was held In 1908 at Paris; the sec
Ond in 1910 at Brussels, and the third is
to be held in 1913 at London.
Now that the American Association for
Highway improvement has been ofncfaliy
designated by the international ASSOCIATION
as the representative VI tHC 1hitSN
States and the American correspondent,
Secretary Pennybacker announces that
the American association will make an
effort to bring the next international con-
gress to America. After the convention
at London In 1913 two years will probably
elapse before the next congress, and this
will give the officials of the American as
ISOLATION plenty of time to agitate the
question. They will make their plea for
the next congress when they attend the
To-, - h1ll fy,T II
IT am particularly gratified." said Mr.
Pennybacker that our association has
been named as the American correspond
ent Of the international association. The
president of our association, Mr.. Logan
Waller Page, who is the director OF the
Office of public roads, was named by
President Roosevelt as chairman of the
commission to the Paris congress. and in
asmuch as We are trying to do Tor the
United States what the international as
sociation is trying to do for the world, We
feel that the arrangement entered into
will prove mutually satisfactory.
France. of course. has the greatest
system of public roads in the world, built
tically completed. The most striking fea-
ture Of the French system is the thor
ough and continuous maintenance by a
force of 10000 patrolmen. who devote
their entire time to the care Of the roads.
America is derelict in road maintenance.
but leads the world in the development
Of labor-saving equipment and methods.
and so we feel that while their expert
ence and knowledge will be valuable to US
ours will be equally valuable to them.'
4 X
In contrast with Barney OIdf1eld, who
recently declared that racing on mile dirt
tracks should be stopped, Ralph De
Palma is of the opinion that steps should
be taken to reduce the danger to a mini
mum. He suggests an inspector of prac-
/ tice racing and separation of experienced
Whatever may become of the particles
| OF rubber that are worn away, it is a
certainty that few tires ever wholly dis
| appear. Old rubber Is used over and
| over again in the composition of new
| tires and has never-ceasing value 1t
| Is probable that no tire ever has COM
pleteiy passed out of useful existence un-
| less 1t has been burned up or lost in the
| water. The old shoes have always a
| market value and can be made use of.
The accessory equipment Of a modern
| car Is astonishing. Speedometer. top,
| windshield, electric generator lighting
| system. combination oil and electric side
and tail lamps. electric tonneau lamp,
demountable rims. horn. muffier cut-out,
| robe rail. foot rest and trunk rack are
among the principal ones.
The invasion Of the commercial car into
the forest Is another evidence of the
horse being routed from q domain in
which In the past the commercial vehicle
was excluded. Like the motor car SUM-
planting the broncho. on the western
plains. there is something romantic in the
L