The Washington herald., 1917-03-25
URGE BETTER ROADS
AS PREPAREDNESS aid
Government Plans to Spend $780,
100000 on Highways.

Officials OF the government, fully
realizing the important part which good
roads would play in war times, are
anxiously watching the progress OF the
Federal aid road act. which was signed
oy President Wilson last July II.
In substance this act provides that an
appropriation OF S75,ooo,0oo be set aside
on the part Of the Federal government
TOT the construction OF rural post roads
while the States are to cooperate In pro-
viding like fund. Thus, IL is planned
"unin the next five years to expend on
such roads S5pO0o,Ooo
For instance the FIRST years appropria-
ton In the plan calling for 5000 is ap-
portioned according to size, among the
several states. Maryland is scheduled
20 put up for this purpose for the 1871
s44.oF.22, the government to give her a
IKE sum, making a total Of So. .094A to
De used In good road construction for
tEat State. Virginia, II is planned, will
contribute sss.6e01, which, added to the
Federal help. makes slss,
While these good road extensions are
being made primarily for agricultural
purposes and in other peaceful interests.
In view Of the present critical conditions
some study is now being made of what
interest Of military preparedness.
Bad Roads Expensive.
David F. Houston. Secretary OF Agri-
culture. under whose supervision the eX-
tension OF good roads comes. in an article
commenting on the Federal aid act. said:
There is no need OF discussing the i'm
portance OF good roads. They are essen
tial to comfortable travel. TO the eco
II, ~
farm products. to the development espe-
cially of satisfactory rural schools, and
to the improvement Of the social life of
the nation. Bad roads are very expensive
possessions. II is estimated that II costs
Q cents under existing conditions to haul
a ton a mile on the average country road
and only l3 cents on a properly improved
road. but this is not all the story.
The direct cost is very great and the
indirect costs are possibly even greater.
With bad roads the farmer is compelled
to haul when he should be engaged in
other activities. while with good roads
he can plan his operations without refer
ence to the weather. The States and
the local units. as has been intimated.
has strikingly recognized these truths by
greatly increasing their appropriations
and by devising better machinery"
AT the present time roads on the Pa
cific Coast, or. in other words, roads
which would be Of particular use for ef-
fective military preparedness on the
Pacific Coast. are in first-class condition.
according to NJ. o. Eldridge. assistant
in the road economies division of the
office OF Public Roads and Rural En-
gineering
Roads in California.
Roads in California" Mr. Eldridge
said last night, are in as good shape
as those in any other State in the Union.
There is one trunk road. in excellent
condition, which runs all the way from
Southern California up through Oregon.
Then, OF course. there are numerous
smaller roads which branch out from it.
Nevertheless. ] regret to say that
there is a mileage Of unsurfaced roads
in the United States which, il lad ou:
In straight line. would be sufficient
to girdIe the earth at the equator more
than eighty times, while the surfaced
roads would girdle the earth only twenty
times
In 1904 less than $4,000. 600 per anum
was expended on road building and
maintenance, while the expenditure in
1914 amounted to approximately $50 OOO.-
ed improvement. and / am glad to say
that at the end OF the five-year construc-
ing program provided for under the Fed
eral Aid Act. the United States will
be well fixed for roads,
On Wednesday evening Mr.. Eldridge
will lecture at the Young Mems Chris
tian Association on Road Building in
the United States" taking up in a gen.
eral way the history and progress of
road-building in the United States. He
will illustrate his lecture with slides.