The Washington herald., 1916-01-09
need HIGHWAYS
BETWEEN CITIES
Missouri Association Advo-
Gates Attention to Impor-
tant Roads of All States.
MOTORISTS LIKE IDEA
Representative Borland Reintroduces
His Old Trails Bill in Congress
for Better Improvements.

That all the roads of a State cannot
be improved simultaneously and that the
most used arteries Of communication
Command priority is again exemplified
II Missouri, where at Sedalia the Per-
manent Road Improvement Association
was recently organized. Thirty cities of
the State, including st. Louis and Kansas
City, were represented in the meeting.
the keynote Of which was the great value
TO the commonwealth Of connecting its
centers Of population and at the same
time providing for ultimate attention to
the feeder roads which will Mt into the
most important highways The Perma-
nent Road Improvement Association be-
lieyes that there should be logical Fed
eral cooperation with the several States,
with Federal money utilized with State
money in the building Of the postroads
which must accept the greatest burden of
trafac.
Representative William P. Borland, Of
Kansas City, who has been a persistent
Federal aid advocate ever since he en-
tered Congress, makes this comment on
roads development in Missouri, believing
that ii will serve as an example for
other Middle Western States such as
Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa, with SINH
lar conditions to be answered in many
Southern States:
Missouri has caught step with tn,
procession. Business men in all of our
smaller towns and cities are interested
and are working for long roads, through
roads, connecting roads, cross State
roads, transContinentaI roads, road sys-
TENS, permanent roads. 36J-days-in-the-
year roads-anythinE but wasting money
IN politics or pork. or the temporary up
keep OF unimprOyed roads.
'Owing to our central position We feel
that all roads lead, or ought to lead. to
q ~ 10
the main line OF the Lincoln Highway
We can encourage the National Old
Trails Hence I have reintrOduced my
old trails bill in Congress.
small Towns Benefited.
Good roads help small towns and
they are the only phase OF modern life
that have that effect Railroads and
most other modern inventions kill the
small town and build up the great
cities. but ll-the-year-round roads
turn the stream OF wealth. travel, and
business back towards the rural CEN
ters. Consequently our business men
all belong to some one Of the numer-
Gus road associations"
Chairman George c. Diehl, of A. A. A.
national good roads board. thus COM
ments on the charging viewpoint:
The organized motorists of the coun-
try have cOntended, in season and out
OF season, that the centers of popula-
tion in a State are as much in need of
road connections with one another as
that attention should be given the i'm
portant matter of transporting farm
products to the nearest market place.
Indicating the growth of the national
Viewpoint. Maine has planned a State
road system of some 1900 miles, which
Is only per cent of the total mileage
but which will serve 7S per cent OF the
total population
"Californias two main artery roads,
from the Oregon line to the Mexican
border, and the persistency OF Wash
ington and Oregon in providing for
trunk line routes, indicate the belief
of the Pacific slope in roads which not
only serve the locality through which
they pass, but which can answer the
greatest needs of the several States.
Il am not an alarmist. but road con-
nections must be considered as a reas-
enable precaution when we study what
Is happening in Europe. The day when
nxed lines of steel will answer all
transportation necessities has plainly
passed"