El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-08-08
show the Value.

you have raised IN the pastZ
show the Value.
It cannot be claimed that road build
ers have wasted 100000 a day or
anything like that sum It cannot be
4 denied that there is a need of greatly
increased road revenue, but the surest
way 10 get road revenue is TO deserve
IL, and the surest way to deserve IL is
TO be able TO show that it has been 50
expended as to produce dollar for dol
lar the value that IL represents.
To do this two elements must be
taken into account. first cost and per-
manency as well as constant disable
condition. The cardinal mistake made
by a large number OF road officials is
that OF counting the cost Of a road
as soon as il is laid with no reckoning
Of It's out OF repair condition Gov
ernOr Glynn. Of New York. riddles this
policy in his recent good roads message
to the legislature. 1t is the cost at the
end OF 10 or 20 years that should be the
criterion He says;
New York is engaged in building
1900 miles OF road. which will wear
out 30 years before they are paid for.
Unless the state makes a radical
change in the type Of road IL builds. IL
will cost from S20.OO0.00O to 100000 600
yearly TO maintain and rebuild New
YORK highways when the present sys-
TEN is completed.
This is the real highway problem
How Waste Grows.
1t costs New York approximately
$4,000 TO build a mile OF macadam
road, which, under present traffic con-
ditions, will not last more than 10
years 1t costs $1,000 a year to main
tain and resurface these macadam
roads And, at the end OF 10 years
when these roads are worn out, IT Will
cost at least $4,000 a mile to rebuild
them"
The governor points out that interest
ana sinking fund charges on previous
bond issues will amount to 81, 1900. 600
per year. besides the cost Of mainte-
nance, and, at the end Of 10 years. the
state VIII have little TO show for its
expenditure Either the road policy Of
the state must be changed. he asserts
or the state faces a taxation charge
equal 10 s. for every man, woman and
child in the state
The root Of the trouble the governor
says, is the fact that New York fol-
lowed the lead Of Massachusetts, in
building macadam roads which were
admirably adapted for the light. horse
drawn traffic Of the SOS, but utterly
untitled to withstand the heavy auto
traffic Of the present day The remedy
lies in recourse to hard surface roads,
among which he prefers brick as the
only material which has demonstrated
its ability to Withstand the test of
time. The first cost of such roads, he
contends, might be $4,000 per mile as
against SlZ,OOO for macadam- He adds
Even il New York were compelled to
pay 100000 per mile for brick roads. it
would be economy to build such roads
instead Of macadam roads where the
state highways are subjected to heavy
automobile traffic.
Is $4,000 n Mile.
The total expenditure for 20 years
on a macadam road amounts to $4,000
per mile This includes $4,000 for
building. $4,000 for maintenance and
$4,000 for rebuilding at the end OF the
first 10 years.
The total expenditure for 20 years
on a vitrifed brick road amounts to
$4,000, If we allow a maximum of Sos
900 a mile for building and $50 a wear
for maintenance"
Governor Glynn supports this esti-
mate with figures showing that a bricI,
road, properly constructed. will last
from 20 TO 30 years and have admir-
ably stood the test of the hardest Kind
OF traffic" The annual cost, he finds.
IS remarkably low, ranging from prac-
ucally nothing to from SO to $50 per
mile PO4
He continues with recommendation
that New York shale deposits be mil
lied and that prison labor be EMPLOYED