The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1915-03-19
PERMANENT ROADS THEME
GIVEN BY LOUIS A. YOUNG
Engineer for the Association of Port
land Cement Manufacturers.

Mr.. Young said: That necessity
is the mother of invention was never
more forcibly illustrated than in the
development of the concrete roads.
When the macadam road was in
vented it was considered to be an
ideal roadway and, as matter of fact,
las long as traffic conditions con-
tinued as they were when this road
was perfected it did prove to be eco
nomical and efficient. With the
advent of the automobile, different
conditions arose and the macadam
road ceased to be economical, as is
evidenced by the large amount of
money which has been spent by the
States of this country on their maca-
dam roads during the last few years.
Practically everyone appreciated
the imperative necessity for improv-
FED roads. The growth of public in
terest in improved roads has, within
the last few years, been nothing
short of marvellous. Imagine the
condition of affairs in the town with
pavements no better than our coun-
try highways.
Concrete roads 10 feet wide with
macadam shoulders cost $4,000 a
mile, against $4,000 for macadam
The maintenance of concrete roads
is $40 year, against $25 year for
macadam. Concrete is cheaper in
the long run and they are in to stay,
in fact concrete gets harder as time
goes on. Every section of the United
States is building concrete roads.
They are tired spending money and
not having anything to show for it, |
The strength of a road de-
ponds upon the strength of it's
binder, illustrated by starting |
with dirt, macadam, which is
lime, vegetable product and then
to cement, which is harder than
stone itself. Every people that put
in concrete roads are pleased and
satisfied. They are 365-day propo-
sition, free from mud in wet wealth
er and from dust in summer. They
are sanitary and offer very little re-
sistance to vehicles moving over the
surface.
In looking about for a typical il
lustration of the necessity of good
roads found upon my desk recently
a copy of the kansas Farmer pub
lished in Topeka. The front page
contained an illustration of muddy
road, while in the field at the road
side was farmer standing in de-
spondent attitude contemplating the
deeply rutted and mired highway.
The title of the picture was as fol-
lows: This road near Concordia
cost this farmer $1,800. He received
an offer for his cattle, but the roads
were impossible and it was several
days before he could drive them to
town. By that time the market had
declined $3.50 per hundred" The
story of this Kansas farmer is typi- l
|
the United States where bad roads /
prevail. They not only deprive the
farmer of markets easily accessible
with good roads, but prevent him +
from getting there when prices are
at their best. Furthermore, bad a
roads increase tremendously the cost +
of hauling, to say nothing of the Q
wear and tear upon horses and We
hicles and waste of time.
Again, in considering specific
types of roads, it is only necessary I
to be practical in the matter There ?
is vast deal of theoretical discus u
sion of this subject representing lit
tie of value. What we wish to know N
is some method of obtaining thor
oughly good roads at a cost not in T.
excess of of our resources, and q
which, when constructed, will not
go to pieces in the course of a few "
years. Where bonds are issued for \
road construction, it is especially es- n
sential that the roads should not be e
destroyed before the bonds mature. j
On that point permit me to quote
the following paragraph from the q
N. j., Democrat" under c.
date of November 20: "The largest Il
number of automobiles that ever a.
passed through town, went through i
last Saturday en- route to the Yale a.
Princeton game. While the cars =
novel form of entertain a.
ment for a crowd at the Second Ma te
,ional Bank corner, they also added d
10 the expense of the county in no al
small degree. Union avenue, lead l.
ng into Somerville, was bad enough, ct
,ut it is horrible now, and the II
road was badly torn. The %
automobile has come to stay and our Ia
Dad authorities have serious prob TO
60 f,,R,