Omaha daily bee., 1918-07-21
ROAD BU|LDI Nc
imp 0RTANT TO
COUNTRY GROWTH
Most Of States Have Highway
Departments Looking After
Intelligent Highway
Building,

Road maintenance must go on I'm
interruptedly or the taxpayers OF the
country will have to pay an enormous
bill for the restoration of the high.
ways after the war;" says the Good
I Roads Press Service.
Something like quarter of cen
tury ago. systematic, intelligent road
Improvement was commenced by a
few of the states in the northeastern
part of the country. Today there IS a
highway department in practically
every state. and in most Of the states
the department is one of the major
divisions of the government. During
this era Of road improvement, the an
ndal expenditure throughout the a.
tion has grown from an insignificant,
sum to total well over $250,000000
To date probably not more than
1874 per cent of the country's road
mileage has been surfaced. Consid.
cred merely as percentage, this
showing is not encouraging. but when
il is remembered that this one-eighth
means an actual mileage OF some
thing over 100000, the magnitude OF
the work accomplished is better ap-
preciated. Another fact that must
be taken into consideration is that
q large majority of the traffic OF the
country is carried on small proper
ton of the total mileage and the
greater part OF the work OF improve.
ment has been done on these more
important highways.
Some Money Wasted.
"Some OF the money spent for road
bctterment has been wasted. Some
of il has been used for permanent
work. the amount involved represent
ing an investment that cannot be lost
A very large proportion OF the total
expenditure has been used for the
construction OF pavcments and sur.
faces of varying durability and OF diff.
ferent needs as to maintenance. The
money they represent is an invest
ment also. but one that can and will
be lost If the, upkeep of the roads |.
neg!scted.
The country's roads are worth bill
Hons OF dollars, even IL nothing more
than their FIRST cost is taken into &C.
count. Their present value. in term.
OF service rendered. is literally meal
culablc, for without them every &C.
tivity would have to cease.
Need Of Public Highways.
THE successful prosecution of the
war is the chief business OF the Amer.
ican people today. But that doesn',
mean that every American should be
fighting or working in a munition
plant or on . farm. There are count.
less other activities that are contribu-
tory to the three obvious essentials
and every one OF them in turn is alb.
solutely dependent upon transporta-
ton. The things men use are seldom
used where they are produced; they
have TO be carried over the roads
over the railroads, up and down rivers
through canals and across oceans
Many OF them are carried by water;
most oil them are also carried by rail
Practically all OF them are, carried by
road. sometimes once. oftener at least
twice.
The nations highway system Is
the foundation Of its whole vast and
complicated machinery OF transporta-
tion. The public highways are indis-
penssble and they yust be kept in
condition unless all the work we have
done Is to avail US nothing and the
work yet before us is to be left un.
done. Money must be spent and labo,
and materials must be used now"