White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1913-09-21
THE AUTOMOBILE
AND GOOD ROADS
THE GENERAL USE OF MOTOR
CARS HAS IMPORTANT BEAR
ING ON SYSTEMATIC HIGHWAY
CONSTRUCTION.

AoNo ItttIfON.
During the year 1912 automobiles
paid in registration and license fees
~$5,638,S7S. This figure exceeded the
value of exports of automobiles from
this country in 1906. In 1911 we
exported automobiles to the value of
$15,924,36 exclusive of parts of
machines. The corresponding figure
for 1912 was s23,7O3.989. In 1912
We had nearly as many automobiles
In New York state as there were in
France and Germany combined. The
total number of machines upon our
highways last year was a round mil
lion. There is evidence at every
hand of the enormous increase in
every phase of automobilism in the
United States. What is the relation
of this great movement to our high
ways? asks the Scientific American.
We have approximately 222 10000
miles of improved roads. This mile
age includes not only first-class high
ways. but a large mileage of graded
ana shaped natural soil roads. There
Is, therefore, IN average of about
Az motor vehicles to each mile of
highway; and, with a daily run of %
miles it appears that 113 automo-
biles travers each mile of improved
road daily. Colonel w. D. Sohier,
chairman of the Massachusetts High
way commission, does not expect
waterbound macadam to stand up
more than 10 automobiles at high
speed where there is a proportionate
amount of light and heavy teams, ap-
proximately $50 and 10 respectively.
Needless to say in the open country,
with continuous stretches of ma
cadam road, the automobile will pro-
coed at high speed. Colonel Sohier's
estimate of heavy teams, is between
so and so, which represents subur-
ban conditions. as it is a very high
rate for heavy teams in districts less
densely populated than Mas
s~achusetts.
We may expect, however. TO find
that our improved maeadam roads
are not outstanding the action of
the automobile, and this is the case
Since the use of the automobile is in
creasing at an accelerated rate. and
since. wherever a road is improved.
II tends to draw increased trafc, we
must avoid in the future the con
struction of water-bonnd macadam
surfaces where heavy motor travel
occurs. There are many places
where such roads may be built with
economy and confidence as to their
service. but in the more densely
populated areas this is not u The
construction of bituminous-bound
macadam roads, concrete roads, and
brick roads in the open country since
1906 Is due almost entirely to the re-
action of the automobile upon the
old standard water-bound maeadam
surface.
We have not been building i'm
proved highways in this country very
long. Before 1898, there was no
systematic highway improvement.
Not until recently have We been able
to determine the cost over a period
of years in this country of any of the
standard types of roads. The water
bound maeadam road was a more
expensive road than was generally
admitted. 1t was not customary to
add the annual cost of periodic re-
snrfacing to the annual maintenance
figures. When that is done, il is
found that the water-bound ma
cadam road. Il feet wide, costs APP
proximately $500 per mile per year,
or between five and six cents per
SQUARE yard. The substitution OF
aituminous bound maeadam surfaces
for water-bound surfaces, has in
creased the first cost of construction
from 90 to 40 cents per square yard.
II has apparently increased the cost
of annual maintenance and, at pre-
sent, we cannot say to what extent
the annual cost of periodic resurfac-
ing will be affected by bituminous
construction. There are, however. a
great many instances on record which
indicate that the total upkeep of BIZ
luminous maeadam roads will ex-