The Rice belt journal., 1913-07-18
TEXAS GUUD ROADS C()MRtS,
GOOD ROADS EXPERTS SPEAK AT
MEETING.
Congress Adjourned Saturday After an
interesting Three-Day Meeting at
Corpus Christi, Texas.

Corpus Christi, Textile midsum.
n1er meeting ofthe Texas Good Roads
congress, after highly interesting
ana profitable session, which has last
ed for three days, came to close Sat.
urday and those present and in posi-.
ton to judge of the results by com.
parison with other good roads meet.
ings pronounced this one of the great
est of its kind.
DR.. l.. |. Hewes of Washington, d.
c., of,the United States office of good
roads, delivered the principal address
OF the session. George D. Marshall,
formerly Of the good roads office of
Washington, D. c., but now with the
Bexar County Highway League, spoke
ON Sand, Clay and Gravel Roads,"
Major William Bradburn Of Houston
also spoke. An address was delivered
by Dell O. Potter of Arizona, presi-
dent of the Southern National High.
way Association. He discussed Fed
eral Aid for National Highways" Ter
rell Bartlett of San Antonio read
paper on business Phases of Road
Improvement Contracts"
The success of the good roads
school, under the supervision of Pro
fessor R. j. Potts of A. and NJ. Col.
lege, was very gratifying, and was
easily the feature of the congress.
Speaking on "The Economic Value
of Improved Highways" DR.. L. |.
Hewes, chief of the economics and
maintenance office of public roads at
the United States department of agri-
culture, said:
"One OF the main problems that
county which contemplates road Ina
provement must solve is this: How
much can we afford to spend for high
way betterment? 1t is possible to ap-
proach the answer to this question in
a strictly businesslike way. We do
not need to say any longer that the
improvements OF system of roads
ought to be of benefit for such and
such general reasons, for we can def.
nitely measure the money return
which community may expect from
its improved highways. The returns
on highway investment are the re-
ductions in the annual hauling costs.
These are not all the returns. but they
are sufficient to fix with reasonable
accuracy the limit OF the investment
The unit of hauling cost is the cost
per ton mile. 1t costs from zoe to SOC
to haul ton over mile of ordinary
roads almost anywhere in the United
States. These figures are supported
by instances of the cost of hauling
lumber, crossties, fertilizer. cordwood,
cotton and other commodities during
the year 1912.
Cotton is one Of the heavy staple
crops. Texas produced during 1912
nearly five million bales. 1t is quite
probable that each bale. of this cotton
is hauled an average distance of six
miles. A reduction in the cost Of
hauling of &c per ton-mile would have
saved the state nearly 100000. This
is an annual saving and should there
fore be regarded as fund for inter-
est, retirement Of principal and an
nual maintenance.
Texas is conspicuous for the
amount of county and district highway
bonds which she has already issued.
1t is considerably over $12,000,000
The total amount Of such bonds issued
throughout the country at the begin
ming OF this year was about $2OS,Ooo,-
900, exclusive of state highway bonds,
which brings the total up to sS50,O0O,-
600. Now there are certain features
connected with highway bond issues
which should be given more attention.
In the first place, highway bonds
should not be issued without a def
mite plan for financing annual repairs
and maintenance. There should be
either direct annual tax for this pun
pose or portion of the bond issue
should be set aside for the purchase
of an annuity to repair and maintain