The Bossier banner., 1916-11-02
MANY MILLIONS
FOR GOOD ROADS
United States Spends Over a
Billion Dollars Annually.
BIG PROJECTS UNDERTAKEN

For tho Larger Part of the Way an
Autoist Viii Strike Good Roads To-
day All ths Way From New York to
San Francisco-Wonderfu March OF
Improvement.
Over a billion dollars is spent every
year in this country for good roads,
writes L. T. Johnson in the Detroit
Free Press. The cost to build one mile
Of good road is $4,000. New England
alone has spent $9,00O,G00 to make her
highways the equal of Europe's. New
York is going to spend SlSI,Oooooo.
You can step into an automobile today
in New York and motor to San Fran
cisco. For the largest part Of your
Journey you will have good roads. SIX
years ago this WAS impossible. Two
national motor highways cross the
country east and west, north and south.
The government has completed mo-
tor highway for the Yellowstone park.
Great parkways stretch out from our
large cities, for hundreds Of miles.
States, counties, townships. village
boards, have all developed Il new con-
science. It is a conscience for good
roads. The military authorities Of the
United States are vitality interested In
the movement In one county of Ne
vada where only 1900 people live $780,
OOO was raised for good roads. Good
roads are all important factor in our
national defense. France won the bat
tie of the Marine with good roads. Jof-
fres reserve army was transported In
taxicabs to attack the Germans right
flank They got there in the nick OF
time because in France there are good
roads.
The automobile has conquered When
it first came out the opinion was given
that the automobile would never reach
IL wide popularity for two reasons
horses and bad roads. To say that the
automobile has supplanted the horse Is
trite But what is more important Is
that the automobile has conquered the
roads; the roads have not conquered
the automobile. -
Because Of the good roads people are
now taking their vacations in automo
biles. Farmers in the middle west
many of them. now carry their prod
ucts to market in automobiles. Good
roads is the answer. Every year sees
one more surrey and blackboard go into
the scrap heap The rural population
is buying light. cheap automobiles.
Good roads! In Kansas there is an
automobile to every family. Good
| roads! Last year 100000 automobile
tourists visited the state Of New York,
spending considerable wads Of money
there Good roads brought them. The
| motorists of Florida will soon take
trips to Chicago or Louisiana. Good
roads are in the course of construe-
| ton.
At present there are three big prof.
ects under way-the Lincoln highway
the Dixie highway and the extension
of the Northwest trail. These projects
are national. They link up widely sep
aratcd parts of the country. They join
the Pacific with the Atlantic, the great
lakes with the gulf They are all en-
tcrprises made possible only through
public spirit Millions of dollars have
been poured into their treasures by
farmers and by men Of the cities. They
are propositions that have touched botl
civic pride and selfish interest They
have got down to the people. 1t is the
people who have made them possible
1t Is the peoples imagination that ha:
responded to their plans-a fine roat
passing your home, fine road ove'
which you can take your goods tt
market, fine road for your little car.