Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-03-31
Chairman of AID Club Road
Committee Urges Plan to Pro-
vide More Revenues
BY ALBION r. CLARK

Chairman Ad Club Road Committee
The aIlimportant question that is In
teresting everyone in this city at the
present time is the condition of our
reads and the lack OF money with
which to better the condition OF same.
(, 1t is a very easy matter for US to
sit back and criticize the board of su.
peryisors, and the city and county
government for their waste Of money
on road construction, but when we
take the trouble to go into the facts
that confront us, rand take into con-
sideration the changes that have taken
place In, the traffic requirements OF
this city and county during the past
eight years, it can readily be seen that
the road situation of the city and
county has gone beyond the point
where cheap roads can be built. And
somewhere other than general taxes to
build roads of a permanent kind to
meet the changed condition.
Built Before Conditions Changed
The majority of the roads of the
city and county were built prior to
the establishment of city and county
government and were built to meet
the requirements of horse-drawn We
hicles, the materials used in their con-
struction being water.bound macadam,
oil macadam, and coral This class o.
roads is very vostly to maintain, under
the changed traffic conditions.
Macadam Pavement In Disfayor
Other cities have had the same ex.
perience from these roads as the fol-
following from the report of DIR. E. Il
McAllister, dean, of the engineering
school of the University of Oregon,
March, 1913, will show:
sMacadam pavement is rapidly fall
ing in disfayor all over the country.
The state Of New York spent IS mil
ion dollars upon macadam roads, but
a few months ago in popular election
fifty million dollars was voted which
will be used in tearing up the ma
cadam roads, and replacing with con-
crete. A curious fact is that macadam
roads were the factors which made
possible the adoption Of power trac-
ton, including mechanical trucks and
automobiles to the country, and now
IL is the mechanical transportation
agents which are tearing the macadam
to pieces and necessitating heavier
type of road construction, which is
eventully to be concrete"
The majority OF our roads having
been built before the advent of the
modern automobile and power-driven
truck, and built Of the materials men
toned above were what might be
termed light traffic roads.
II is hardly to be expected that
these roads, which have been given
up in other places, where the traffic
conditions have changed from the
horse-drawn vehicle 10 the modern
auto truck. will hold up here under the
present traffic conditions, which have
changed, not only in the class of We
hicle but have increased 20 times in
weight -..s.
Some Experiences in Other Cities i
Every state in the Union has had,
and is having. the same experience
that we are going through at the pres
ent time as regards road conditions
and traffic requirements. But they
have the advantage of Us, in that they
have or can get the funds with which
to meet the changing conditions, and
have been able to build modern roads
to meet the demands of the increased
and modernized transportation re-
ouirements. ..-
On the other hand we are trying to
struggle along with very limited and
small fund to take care of the old
roads, all going 70 pieces on account
Of not being built of material strong
enough to stand the present traffic
conditions. to say nothing of building
modern roads to meet the changed
conditions