Evening star., 1912-09-08

HAT not less than $3.50. ,000
would be saved to the country
In the cost of hauling the
present record breaking crop
if 20 per cent of the public
highways of the country were improved
is the assertion of ]. Z. Pennybacker.
jr.. executive secretary of the American
Road Congress. Mr.. Penny nybacker. before
becoming the secretary of the American
Association for Highway Improvement
was the chief of the road management
department in the United States Office
Of public roads. has made a comparative
study Of the cost of hauling crops over
good and bad roads.
Because Of his knowledge Of the actual
needs of the country Mr.. Pennybacker
was selected as the executive secretary
of the American Road Congress, which
is to crystalline the road movement in
America.
The governments prediction that the
crop now being harvested will exceed
any previous years yield" said Mr..
Penny backer should serve to call at
tention to the great losses that are be-
ing sustained by farmers and consumers
in the hauling Of crops. 1t is estimated
that the improvement of the main roads
of this country, approximately 20 per
cent, would result in an annual saving
of at least s250,000, 1000 in the cost of
hauling alone, which would be sufficient
to improve $4,000 miles Of road at a
further cost of $4,000 per mile. In five
years this would improve 250000 miles.
which would be sufficient to bring the
total mileage of improved roads up to
20 per cent.
There are more than 25,OOOOOo farm
horses and mules in the United States,
valued at s2,7O0,0O0,0O0: about 100000
horse-drawn vehicles valued at $50, ,6D,OtO,
and more than 10000 automobiles valued
at about $500, 100000. A depreciation of
per cent. caused by the wear and
tear of bad roads, would amount to 1854,
100000 annually, which at 5000 per mile
would be sufficient to build 81, 800 miles of
improved roads.
These are but a few great economic
facts which will be brought to the at
tention of the American people at the
American Road Congress to be held In
Atlantic City, September 30 to October s..
Once the people realize the great waste
involved in bad roads there will be little
delay in the Improvement of the main
arteries of commerce throughout the
country. The whole subject is so big
that we have made arrangements to treat
1T In sections at the congress. each sec
ton. such as legislative. administrative,
finance and education. having been placed
under the auspices of the representative
& X
DR.. C. w. Childs, his son Greed. J. Moria
Saunders and w. II. Taylor Of this city
have returned after an extended auto
mobile tour to Atlantic City and New
York The party travelled over a thousand
miles through some of the most pic
turesque parts of the country.
4 +
A hundred cars may be the limit put
on the entry list Of the A. A. A. national
reliability run by the national tour COM
mittee. Entries are coming in steadily
which will start from the City of the
Straits October and conclude in the
Crescent city October 49, Recent notable
entries include DR.. Wallace Wood of New
Orleans, Frank Hardart of Philadelphia;
and j. s. kinnan of Toledo, Ohio. all
long distance tourists of much experience
DIR. Wood arrived in New York during
the week. after a very interesting trip
from New Orleans. With his family he
left New Orleans August and Travelled
through Mobile and Selma. Ala: Atlanta,
Ga; Greenville, Charlotte. Asheville,
Greensboro. n. c.: Roanoke and Staunton.
Va: Gettysburg and Philadelphia. Pa.
and Trenton and Jersey City. N. ]. DIR.
Wood Is meth odical tourist, and he
computed his mileage as 1000 miles.
which required 123 gallons Of gasoline
and five and one-quarter gallons of oil.
During the trip he ascended Satuda noun
tain, a rise of $500 feet in six miles.
Charles J. Glidden. donor Of the ia
NOUS trophy bearing his name. and
which will again be contested for by the
teams from the different cities. may de-