New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-07-06
AUTOS AND THE HIGHWAY
One Car for Every Two Miles
of Road in Country.
BURDEN ON GOOD ROUTES
Wearing Out of Improved Lines
Shows Imperative Need of
Adding to Mileage in
All States.

With 10000 automobiles in use and
100000 miles OF road there is now In
the United States a motor-driven vehicle
for every two miles of highway.
MANY public men have not realized
the change this class OF vehicles has
wrought in commercial as well as social
conditions" comments Robert p. Hoop
er, former president OF the American
Automobile Association, and recently re-
elected for the seventh time as the head
OF the Pennsylvania Motor Federation.
Their minds do not seem to readily ao-
sorb the logical resultants Of the fact
that the city 81 miles away Is as Access
sible for business purposes with motor
vehicle as is the railroad station "a
miles distant, with team and wagon.
CNine and four-tenths miles Is the dis
lance Of the average American farm
from its nearest shipping point. accord
ing to statistics gathered by the United
States Office OF Public Roads.)
1T is a fair proposition that a large
percentage of automobiles are utilized in
part or wholly for commercial purposes.
There are and can be no county or
township lines in traffic over roads The
resident in any agricultural community
does his selling and buying in the city or
village most accessible, whether in his
own or in another county. or even in
an adjoining state; and as accessibility
is often a question Of roads, he frequent
ly finds fifteen miles over a good road
more easily negotiated than Ave miles
over an unimproved road.
Certain roads in every community
amounting, according to the best au-
whole road mileage) are the main roads
over which passes upward or 80 per
cent OF the local travel. When a single
county In a given section improves It's
verIed TO those roads, this multiplied
traffic requiring systematic and unusual
ly costly maintenance. The local COM
munity is benefited, Of course; but so
are the adjoining counties and neighbor-
ing states.
"Mecklenburg County. in North Caro-
lima, is an excellent illustration OF this
feature OF the economics Of road i'm
proYement. Some years ago this pro-
gressive county issued bonds and built
an excellent system o. macadam roads.
The initial advantage was at once APP
parent. Farmers increased their acreage
OF crops; production became much great
er; marketing cost less, and real estate
values were enhanced from Is TO 100 per
cent Then came new traffic conditions
and the through travel OF whole sec
ton of the state was diverted over the
good roads OF Mecklenburg County The
travel between the North and the South
assumed larger proportions and II went
by way Of Mecklonburg County because
of its good roads.
LAS matter OF fact, the injustice 10
the taxpayers OF Mecklenburg County
must be apparent to every fair minded
man. But Mecklenburg County is not
alone in its position. Nearly every coun-
ty in the country lying along the route
of n main thoroughfare in states where
state aid has not been adopted finds it
self I'm a similar situation: either with
improved roads which from outside traf-
fic are wearing out, or else prevented
from making improvements by the not
unnatural feeling on the part of the
people that they cannot afford to build
and maintain roads upon which would
come the greatest use and wear from
outside the county, with no correspond
ing advantages"