The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-08-23
GOOD ROADS EXPENDITURES.

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! II has been fairly stated that if il
is worth while TO expend the public
money OF State in road building, it
is surely worth while to insist that the
roads built with that public money shall
be built in such manner rs TO be per.
manent, and shall be Of the highest
possible benefit. IL is a clear case that
money spent ineffectively on roads, and
that leave these roads in such condition
that they Will need constantly to be
resurfaced or rebuilt, is money wasted
Roads built by the State should be built
not merely for two or three years. but
| they should be so planned and so based
that they will last for all time, with
proper care.
Further than that, the roads should
be built in every case TO suit the traffic
that is TO pass over them. Where the
traffic is heavy, and especially where
there are many automobiles, the roads
must be of the most permanent possible
character or they win speedily wear
out
New Jersey has fine system of pub
lie roads. and has thrown them open
free TO the use oC automobiles that are
properly licensed But Pennsylvania is
afflicted with the old~style toll roads,
and New Jersey very properly complains
that her generosity in throwing open
her roads for the free use of automo.
biles is not in the least reciprocated
by her neighboring State of Pennsyl-
vania, which stops the automobile every
little while by toll-gates and eXacts a
toll charge for further progress. This
inequality has stirred the Jerseyites to
a form OF resentment, which the auto
mobilists Of Pennsylvania and New
York bitterly resent. The automobile
license commissioner Of New Jersey,
who is State official. and authorized
to regulate road traffic and generally
supervise the roads. has issued instruc-
tions to officers of the peace in the diff
ferent sections of the State to put in
speed traps to catch the reckless auto
mobilists who seek to defy capture and
disregard local regulations. Those speed
ing Automobiles who can be caught in
the regular way of overtaking them
and holding them, reto be so overtakcn
and held: but where an automobile is
so speedy that il cannot be caught, then
signals are to be established that will
head off the fleeing automobile and al
low the pursuer to catch up. In this
way New Jersey hopes to recoup in the
way Of fines something of the tolls
which her people have to pay on the
toll roads of Pennsylvania.
The speeding automobile has become
worldwide menace. It has ALWAYS
been looked upon with extreme disfavor
by British law, and there has been es-
tablished in England systematic con
troll which, vigilantly enforced, has
caused grief TO many defiant automobil-
lists A London magistrate recently had
case growing out of an automobile ac-
cident, where it was shown that the
chauffeur, who was charged with man
slaughter, had woman seated beside
him when the accident occurred. This
is so common with joy-riders that magis
trates in this country pay no attention
to the fact But the London magistrate
was of an astuter mind. He held that
it is highly improper for n chauffeur to
have n woman seated next to him be
cause of the distraction Of mind which
that woman necessarily creates. The
London Justice held that the practice Of
having "A woman beside the chauffeur is
reprehensible, as being ga distracting
companionship, and, he added. "some
ladies are nervous, some inqulsltivc,
some garrulous. and some attractive, -
and, he might have added. that many
women combine several Of these quail
ties. all of which he held to be repre-
hensibIe as coming in close contact with
chauffeur IN action. 1T is hoped that
this London magistrate has set prece
dent which will he useful in this coun
try in a declaration Of the common law
OF the case, and which would make a
chauffeur S offensc more reprehensible
than II otherwise would be if it can be
shown that he had a woman companion
seated next TO him, who is either "ner
yous, inquisitive, garrulous, or attract
i've or who exhibits combination of
these qualities,
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BRAZIL IS RESENTFUL.