The Detroit times., 1913-03-31
HIGHWAY ACROSS
U.S.. FOR AUTOS
IS GREATEST NEED
JUDGE ,. NJ. LOWE.
President of National Old Trails
Road Sounds Keynote OF
Great Plan
MANY STATES HAVE
TAKEN UP PROBLEM
Country Could Be Ordered with
National Roads Within
Five Years

NEW YORK, March 29.-"Roads
that 20 somewhere" Is an expression
which Is being heard necessarily In
connection with the countrywide at
tention to the improvement OF the
highways. Judge J. NJ. Lowe, presi-
dent of the National Old Trails Ocean
to-Ocean Road, tersely summed up the
matter In these words:
"A road extending across town.
ship, OF course, has value: 1t has In
creased value when II goes across a
county; Il has considerable increased
value when II extends across state;
but it is OF infinitely more value when
IL extends from state TO state, across
the continent
The advocates of this particular
road across the country, which would
M into system of national highways
such as Ia contended for by the A. A..
A. National Good Roads Board, be-
lieve in a comprehensive plan, even
though, according to Judge Lowe,
they are striving that their inter
state avenue Of communication ought
to be the first one built.
I'VE don't stand for our road 10 the
exclusion Of any other road states
Judge Lowe. and ! want to say fur-
Their that II there is any other line
OF road which ought to receive con-
sideration first, which ought TO be
built frst, and which has greater
claims than our road, as historic as IT
Is. we are ready to get behind that
road and stand for 1t just as strongly
as We are ready to stand for the Ma
,ional Old Trails Road. II had my
way about 1t, | would build great
National system OF roads leading from
our national capital to the capital or
every state In the union. would
stand behind that proposition until II
went out through the country as the
system we are In favor or. Some say
that that would bankrupt the govern
ment. Have you ever stopped 10 THINK
What n would cost? Probably $4,000
miles Of road will build a trunk line
through every capital OF every state
OF the union. Put II at the highess
nossible figure, to build the best ROAD
that modern engineering has devised,
making the average about $l2.OOO per
mile The western half Of these roads
will cost whole lot less than the
eastern half. Eighteen thousand
miles multiplied by $4,000 makes
-u,hata s2l6. 900, 900. We have spent
millions of dollars on the improve
mont az rivers and harbOrs. and mil
lions of dollars upon the improvement
of the Panama canal. 1t doesn't take
a life time to accomplish big thing
NOWADAYS. within five years this
whole county ought to be gridironed
with national roads. After CARRYING
ont our plan Of these national high.
WAYS. let the states and counties build
and maintain their own roads connect.
ing with the national system; ana
then We will have roads that are
- worth while and there will be no con-
fiiet of authority anywhere.
"Now let us get together. Ana. al
for all--and this was an education 10
myself as well--when I travelled over
that old road from ocean to ocean, as
7 have done II gradually dawned upon
me that the people in Ohio, Pennsyi-
yania. West Virginia, and Maryland.
and all the other states, were the
same people that had known and as
ISOLATED with. that they were not dil-
ferent from the people or Kentucky
where I was born and raised, nor DIFF
ferent from the people OF my adopted
state. Missouri; that they were the
same people, the same nationality
with the same Environments, the same
aspirations and the same hopes.
II is interesting to note In various
narts Of the country the gradual
methods in many states in regard to
road Improvement. Arkansas has just
voted to establish state highway de-
partment. while Idaho has done the
same. I'm addition to which an appro
nriation OF 100000 has been made to
he used In laying. surveying. and
starting the construction OF system
NJ state highways. Promising legis
Aiation is pending In Maine, Pennsyl
ania. Missouri, and several other
atafe4.