The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-12-08

roads. notably trunk highways into
and out or the bigger cities Is of equal
IL not greater import than the railroad
facilities. 1t has been discovered In
this connection that the majority of
people who start to commute via au-
tomobile know no seasons but use their
cars throughout the winter and re-
CARELESS of snow
This is an even greater incentive for
the building of good roads than IL the
motors were used in summer only, for
what may seem like a perfect high
way in the warm dry days, can be-
come very easily an impossible
slough when&it rains or SHOWS. Along
this same line Of suburban develop
ment, all of the big companies utilize
ordinary touring cars or specially con-
structed motor buses for conveying
prosperity. This it Is claimed gives a
much better impression than when
people are brought out on noisy,
dirty train to a more or less business
! like station which may be dirty also.
The car is practically noiseless, clean
and most comfortable. as well as fiexi-
BILE so that the route which is most
! impressive as to scenery may be chosen.
Invasion of wild West
How the motor truck is penetrating
y
cred impossible wilds in the far West,
was told recently by e. l.. Ferguson,
the veteran pilot, in an address be-
fore the Motor Truck club, of New
York (Nov. 20th). Mr.. Ferguson in
relating his experiences Us captain of
the Transcontinenta1 Alec truck ex-
petition, declared that the rapid inn
provements of roads and bridges have
, removed the last obstacle to employing
7 4, Ill. NlxE-
tage.
| While facilities for motor freighting
are far from ideal in such States as
wyoming, Utah and Nevada, and in
parts also of Iowa, Illinois, Ohio and
| Indiana, the spirit Of better road and
| bridge conditions has taken hold of
business men all the way across the
| tranScontlnental route said the speak
! er.
Large sums of money have been
voted for betterments. In single
county in Wyoming, for instance,
/ $4,000 is being expended to rebuild
the roads In Iowa the old wooden
and iron bridges are being replaced
| by concrete structures. Merchants,
especially those whose requirements
call for long distance hauls, have
waited patiently for these conditions
| to be brought about. They now are in
! a position to get goods to destinations
more speedily and at a reduction in
cost"
Mr.. Ferguson described the meth
DDS employed in plotting the big
freight laden truck through deep
sands in Ohio, gumho in Western IL
linois and Iowa, gullies in Wyoming
and mountains in Nevada. He ex-
| planned the work of inspecting hum
DiY
| hrely rebuilding the weak ones.
National Roads" is the exact
form in which Federal Aid" should
be supplied by the national govern
ment, according to the opinion ex-
pressed by the American Automobile
association at its annual meeting held
| in Chicago during the past week. The
big organization Of automobiles,
while piedging the best endeavors of
It's State bodies and local clubs iii
obtaining comprehensive State xys-
TENS, unequivocally placed itself on
record as against pork barrel
methods in national roads appropria-
tions.
The tenth annual meeting OF the
| association, with the accompanying
banquet. was the most successful since
the organization gathering in March,
1909, which likewise took place in
Chicago. Laurens Enos, OF New
York, succeeded Robert p. Hooper,
of Pennsylvania, in the presidency,
! the latter having served most eff
| ciently for two years The list of
, vice. presidents is as follows: First
| vice. president, John A. Wilson of
| Pennsylvania; second. H. NJ Rowe,
| of Maryland; third, Ralph w. Smith.
| of Colorado: fourth, Fred L. Baker,
| of California; nth. Asa Payne of
| Minnesota John n. Brooks, of Com
necticut. was reelected secretary; II.
| A. Bonnell, of New Jersey also sue
| ceeded himself as treasurer. and A.
| G. Batchelder, Of New York city. re-
! mains as chairman of the executive
| board, which includes representation
from every State These ehairmen
of boards were reappointed by the
incoming president: Good roads,
| George G. Diehl OF Buffalo: legisia-
tive. Charles Thaddeus Terry, of New
York; touring, Howard Longstreth. of
| Philadelphia, contests William
Schimpf, OF New York city.
In the preamble Of the national
roads resolutions the association as
serts belief in the principle of state
aid and State highway systems, and
pledges itself to assist In obtaining
/ state punt ana SiaLe maintained
roads, with State aid and supervision
Of county, market. and township
tributaries, Furthermore, attention
was called TO the general acceptance
by Automobiles OF an unconstitu-
| tional tax. called Registration fee"
simply because the money so raised
| Is used for highway maintenance pur-
poses
1t Is contended that the distribu-
ton of federal funds to townships and
counties for the Improvement of local
roads would be such q piecemeal and
unsystematic use of the public money
that ii would result in great waste
and extravaganza and bring a posi-
tive reaction against the good roads
cause through opening the way for
extensive appropriations without