The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1913-08-08
our Roads AS GOOD.

Chairman u. r.. Welier ana Oommis-
sioner Miller of the State Roads Com
mission recently returnedstrom q trip to-
Europe, where they spent about three
weeks 10 studying reads and road pro-
blems. One week they spent in London
attending the International Road Com
gress aud the otherswo in an automobile
trip covering I,2oo miles of runs in
France, England and Wales. Mr.. Well
er. 10 speaking Of his observations, up-
sets the declaration frequently made by
travellers that the European roads are
superior to onrs He says:
.'The best foreign road are not better
than the best American roads There are
simply more OF them. That is the differ
ence. In Great Britain and Continental
Europe the bad road is the exception,
while 10 our country the bad road is the
rnle This is because the United is in
comparatively new and formative period
of its devclopmen mt and with ali enormous
road milage of 4. 25o. 900 miles, to the inn
provement of which we have ouly been
recently devoting our energies. The pro-
blem of modern road building has not
yet been worked out. but it will be solved
Ia America and not in Europe Our
country has taken hold Of his job in ear
nest, and we have the money. the brains,
the energy and the courage TO work 1t
out. This fact is recognized by the gov
eminent of France. which has had M.
de Pullingny. the Chief Engineer of
Roads and Bridges of that country, in the
United States tor nearly year with a
corps of assistants to secure the best and
latest practice on this important question.
mo intelligent comparison of the
European roads and ours can e made
without taking into copsideration the dit,
ference in conditions. which are much
more favorable there than here. The
first point TO be considered is that there
is practically no new construction on the
other side. Their roads have been in pro-
cess of building for hundreds of years,
aud their problem is now almost exclu-
sively one of proper maintenance. We
we're much surprised to find in France,
whose patrol system has been held up TO
the world as model. that little care is
being paid 10 The maintenance of their
State roads according TO modern stand
ards. The only oiled roads we saw 10
France were within radius Of IS or 90
miles of Paris where the motor traffic Is
heavy and where the niacadam roads are
full Of holes and rapidly going to pieces.
The only reason the roads of France are
good is because they have not been sub
jected to sncf heavy automobile traffic
as we have in Maryland, and even as it is
they already show signs Of deterioration.
If they are not protected by proper top
dressing within the next year or two they
viii begin TO ravel and rut and will de-
generate badly.
"In England the roads are much better
than 10 France, but even there as much
care is not given to promtt maintenance
as we are endeavoring to use In Maryland.
Wnen mole appears IN an English
macadam road II is not at once filled IN
with a pitch. but the holes are permitted
10 increase until IL Is necessary ID rebuild
the road, which is then done il sections
of generally from one quarter of mile o
q mile in length In ether words. they
rebuild their roads rather than maintain
them. This means q great waste of
money and is system we could not
afford in our State I, should be borne
in mind that England and France are
practically as rich as the whole United
State and that each Of these countries is
smaller than some oil our States This
means that they can afford 10 spend and
do spend many times more than we do on
the maintenance Of their roads, while
their cost of construction has already
been paid for.