The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-07-23
ORGANIZATION
 STATEWIDE TO
 STUDY PAVING
ROAD OFFICIALS FROM PRINCE. PAL CITIES OF CONNECTICUT MEET IN NEW HAVEN FOR
 PURPOSE.
DELEGATES TAKEN IN CIRQUE OF AUTOS TO SEE PERMA- NEWT PAVEMENTS OF THE
 ELM CITY.

New Haven, July 23-Asserting that macadam roads that have been built in cities and towns of Connecticut are fast going to pieces under the de- mands made upon them by. increased traffic, especially that of the fast mul- tiplying automobiles and trucks that are becoming heavier and heavier, delegates from all the principal Con- necticut cities met in the city hall, yesterday. and voted to take steps to form permanent State organizat ton of. cities and towns looking toward a solution Of the paving problems
 The meeting was called to order by Director Flames, at whose suggestion the movement was begun He ex- plained that it seemed desirable that the cities and towns of the State should cooperate in the care and con- struction of the streets, and that the conference would prove valuable in disclosing means for that end.
 MT. Ford, city engineer-e called attention to the fact that in all the Connecticut cities the traffic had in- creased enormously in recent years and he gave the figures taken recent ly in the city of New Haven explain ing the system which had been un- dertaken here. He said that today | cent. greater than it was fifteen years ago. He suggested an agreement on some method of accounting and some system of taking traffic statistics. He referred to the New York and Massa- chusetts systems and the differences between them, and stated that if the Connecticut cities could be induced to co-operate and each take statistics of traffic on Saturdays and later study the traffic statistics for the wear and tear on the different kinds of pave Hments, valuable information might be secured
 He stated that interchange in cost data is very valuable BIS is data re- garding the cost of cleaning and that an agreement ought to be reached as to what is as fair cost for cleaning a square yard of pavement. Heavier trucks may yet be used upon the streets perhaps even. trains. each en- zine hauling two or three loaded cars through the streets. carrying ice or some other commodity, for instance. In this case, paving problems will be greatly increased.
 Talk of Barring Chains.
 The question of prohibiting the use of chains for automobiles was discuss ed, and MT. Ford was of the opinion that, in case chains are forbidden the city or town should provide substi- ute in the shape of gritty streets, in stead of oily and slippery streets over screenings or gravel or something which will hold the vehicles from slip- ping should be employed.
 City Engineer Terry of Bridgeport sadd that there is no question that everyone is now recognizing the value State sheet should be prepared giv- ing prescribed form for the record ing of the statistics
 Mayor Rice, felt sure that sexperi- ments which had been made in New Haven showed the value of State association of the character mention ed, and suggested that frequent meet ings might be held with profit.
 Mr. Terry and Mayor Dunn of Will limantic took the lead in discussion of the value of water-bound macadam and agreed that. under the present conditions. it was incapable of stand ing up under the pressure.
 Haven Paving Commission, said that trucks and autos now in use have cre- ated a great paving problem. He did not think that water bound macadam was at present of much use or that even oil-bound or asphalt oil-bound ent traffic. He believed that the foundations are not built heavy enough to stand the trucking and traffic of today, but that we must go back to some foundation like Telford. He thought that wood was the best pavement known, but that granite block, although lasting perhaps sew enty-five years, is very expensive. and, in wearing smooth, is sbarbarous to man and beast.
 MT. Adler continued: t9Tl1e State roads are. all to pieces. Macadam has been tried with tars and oils, but the suction of the auto tires spoils them. To continue to use macadafn is like throwing money to the winds on even moderately travelled roads.
 Urges Need of Statistics.
 Mr. Ford asked why it was that one pavement in, one city would go to pieces in five years while the same kind of pavement would last for fifteen years in another city, He added: Does not this show the need of statistics? If we find definitely that one kind of a pavement will last under the same traffic conditions longer than another we can be cer- tain that that is the kind to use''
 City Engineer Mitchell, of Willi-