Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-06-10
SAVE THE ROADS;
PRESERVE HIGHWAYS.
Federal And State Governments
Must Take Immediate
Steps.


governments take immediate 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 motor truck trains which are
being sent over them.
This is pointed out in striking fash
ION today by former Governor John
X Tener of Pennsylvania who now is
the President of the Permanent High
ways Corporation of New York. Gov
ernor Tener declares il is a military
necessity for the various responsible
authorities 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 its full duty in the war and if
the Government is to protect the COM
merce and the industries of the coun-
try which are supplying the needs of
our men on the battlefields as well 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.
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 motor trucks. The roads
fast are wearing down and hundreds
of miles of highways will become use
less unless the resurfacing of these
roads is encouraged so that the foun-
dations may be saved In road con-
struction the principal cost is in the
foundations. The top, or road sur
face, naturally is the first to give way,
break and finally grind up and disap-
pear, leaving the foudations exposed
and next in the line of destruction.
Foundations costing hundreds of
millions of dollars now are in danger
of being ruined forever. when they
| could be saved by proper resurfacing
but this resurfacing should be done at
once or else the costly foundation
work will have to be done all over
again in order to make the highways
a
mucn upon them. In some States and
localities, l am informed, there is a
disposition to delay road work until
after the war, on the theory that the
men and materials are more needed
| elsewhere III the war work This is a
grave mistake which should be cor
| rected at once.
Without the highways the business
of the country would be crippled The
roads must be preserved both for war
purposes and for the preservation of
| the industries upon which the coun-
| try's revenues depend, as well as for
the living necessities of those who are
doing their full share by keeping the
home fires burning.
ITO preserve the highways we must
| save the foundations. Makeshift sur
| facing will crumble in few months
/ and will nave TO be done all over again
To neglect surfacing will impose the
absolute necessity for reconstructing
| thousands of miles of foundations
which, If properly surfaced now, would
/ mean the saving of hundreds of mil
| lions of dollars now in danger of be-
| ing thrown away by foolish policy
of saving at the spigot and wasting al
the bung.
| by ali means let the proper au-
thorities speed up the work of resur-
| facing the highways so the foundations
may be saved This cannot be made
too emphatic because it is a matter
that soon will become vital to the work
of the war and the life of the nation