Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-06-07
HIGHWAYS NEED
GOOD SURFACE
Unless Steps Are Taken Roads
Will Be Useless For
Truck Trains

New York.-Unless the Federal,
state and local governments take i'm
mediate steps to save the foundations
of the roads of the country most of
the highways now being used for
military purposes will be ruined and
no longer can be used for the mo-
tortruck trains which are being sent
over them.
This was pointed out in striking
fashion by Ex-Governor John K. Ten
er of Pennsylvania, who is the pres
ident of the Permanent Highways
Corporation of this city. Governor
Tener declares it is a military neces-
sity for the various responsible au-
thorities to protect these roads by a
proper surfacing.
I'VE must preserve the roads of
the country and especially must we
| save their foundations If the United
| States is to do it's full duty in the
war and If the government is to pro-
| tect the commerce and the indus
tries of the country which are sup
| plying the needs of our men on the
battlefronts as we'll as the taxes of
| the government and the necessities
of the men, women and children who
are keeping the wheels going at
home" said Governor Tener.
Depending on Highways
THE Federal government, the
manufacturer and the farmer for
months have been depending on the
highways for the transportation of
! enormous amounts of materials and
supplies by motortrucks. The roads
fast are wearing down and hundreds
| of miles of highways will become
| useless unless the resurfacing of
these roads is encouraged so that the
| foundations may be saved. In road
| construction the principal cost is in
the foundations. The top, or road
| surface, naturally is the first to give
way, break and finally grind up and
! disappear, leaving the foundations
exposed and next in the line of de-
| struction.
Foundations costing hundreds of
millions of dollars now are in dan
| ger of being ruined forever when
| they could be saved by proper re-
surfacing but that re6urfactng
| should be done at once or else the
costly foundation work will have to
be done over again in order to make
the highways available for traffic
which depends so much upon them.
! In some states and localities, / am
| informed, there is a disposition to
| delay road work until after the war,
on the theory that the men and ma
! terials are more needed elsewhere
! in the war work. This is a grave mis-
| take which should be corrected at
| once.
Without the highways the busi-
| ness of the country would be Grip
pied. The roads must be preserved
| both for war purposes and for the
| preservation of the industries upon
which the country's revenues de-
pend, as we'll as for the living ne
nessities of those who are doing their
full share by keeping the home fires
burning.
Must Save Foundations
ITO preserve the highways we
must save the foundations. Make
shift surfacing will crumble in a few
4 months and will have to be done al
over again. To neglect surfacing will
impose absolute necessity for recon
structing thousands of miles of foun.
dations which, If properly surfaced
now, would mean the saving of hun
dreds of millions of dollars now IL
danger of being thrown away by 6
foolish policy of saving at the spigo
: and wasting at the bung.
by all means let the proper au'
thorities speed up the work of re
surfacing the highways so the foun,
dations may be saved. This canno
be made too emphatic because it il
matter that soon will become vita
to the work of the war and the lif,
of the nation"