New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-05-26
ROAD BUILDING PROBLEMS
French Visitors Tell of Difficult.
ties Raised by Traffic.
NEW FORMULAS REQUIRED
Effort Will Be Made to Bring In
ternational Congress of 1914
to the United States.

Even France. with its great system Of
national state and county highways. now
realizes that the intense use OF the roads
demands changes IN construction and more
thorough maintenance This fact was
frankly voiced by Councillor of State Char
gueraud who is the inspector general OF
bridges and highways and director OF
roads and navigation OF France. whose adj
mission came at the dinner given in his
honor at Washington. May q, by Logan
Waller Page. president OF the American
Association for Highways Improvement.
It has ever been argued that mOocrd
road-makng should meet the new condi-
tons which have been imposed by twenti-
eth century locOmotion, which means not
only automobile traffic, but that Of al
other vehicles as well. The good roads
boards OF the American Automobile Asso-
citation has agitated 70 this end and the
sun and substance OF the best engineering
practice throughout all modern road
building nations land all are struggling
toward the same end. whether it be
France, with the best roads i'm the world.
and the most Of them, or Guatemala, with
equally good roads, but few, is to take
llNO NOHSIutl dllOIl tllt NOAlolilNN ilN'Ho''O
traffic of everything that goes on wheels
This was the argument put forward at
the Willard Hotel banquet, the guest list
OF which included NJ. Jussersnd. the French
Ambae Idor; Secretary Of Agriculture Will
son and George G. Diehl chairman of the
a. a. \. board.
IT was in reply to a query propounded by
Francis Miltouu Mansfield. who addressed
the distinguished foreigner in his own
tongue, that VI. Chargueraud said that
while the automobile was primarily not The
road destroyer that It's opponents claimed.
it, in conjunction with a heavy horse-drawn
traffic as we'll was bringing about condi-
tons which were wellnigh insupportable
unless combated with the best forces pos
sible IN the light Of the science OF modern
road building.
During the course of the speeches the
one insistcnt thought reiterated by NJ.
Chargueraud, VI. de Puligny, the head OF
the French Commission Of Engineers. and
NJ. dc Jolly. engineer in chief of the bridges
ard highways OF Paris, now visiting tho
United States. was that oldtime road con-
ditions no longer obtained, and that new
formulas of road building and a new APP
plicaton Of public funds will necessarily be
made by the central controlling body for
r. al building and road improvement, which
I'm France is the national government
Another question which was brought up
was the advsa blity of the United States
forming a part of the International Asso-
citation OF Roads Congresses, being now the
only nation among the great powers not
officially represented. This is advocated
by the American Automobile Association.
which is the only American affiliation OF
the League OF International Touring Asso-
Citations.
For this reason II is vigorously contender
that steps should be taken, and that pub
Lefty should be given, as to the desirability
of the United States taking an official pant
in this important international work.