The Washington herald., 1918-05-26
ROAD BUIi..NG after
war OF IMPORTANCE
Lesson Of Preparation for Future
Now Brought Home.

whether the end of the war is
to be this year or several years
hence, il is none too early for road
builders to give a part of their
time to the consideration of what
they will be called upon to do when
peace mas been restored. 1t has
cost this country dearly to learn
that preparation for war should be
made in time OF peace; it is not
necessary to pay the price of learn
ing the equally vital truth that we
should at least make a beginning
on preparing for peace while We
are still at war.
The effect Of a successful prose-
cution of the war-the only possi-
bility of its termination to be con-
sidered-can be judged by little ex-
cept the history of this and other
countries during the years imme-
diately following other wars. And
even with that guide. little can be
asserted positively. for no war ever
yet ended in circumstances even re-
motely like those that will exist at
luc NlOSc VI lnlS NO pre-
vious war among world powers has
involved so many nations, exacted
so heavy a toll of human life, or
cost so much in material resources.
One very important result, how
ever, is certain. The United States
will have walked up to the value of
good roads. The realization of their
Importance would have come, even
without impetus from the war. but
IL has been brought many years
nearer by the lessons learned dur
ing the past year. The inability Of
other means of transportation to
take care of their unusual burdens has
done much to bring home to the
public the possibilities in highway
trafffc. The highly developed high
way systems in the theater of war
have proved their worth in both
offensive and defensive warfare. And
when the fighting has ceased those
same roads will facilitate the gil
gantic work of rebuilding and restora-
Iion that will have to be done.
1t seems inevitable that for sew
eral years after the war this coun-
try will have to provide much of
the raw materials. food, and manu-
factured products used on the other
side of the Atlantic. II so, it will mean
an era of great agricultural, COM
mercial and industrial activity.
That, of course, will bring a heavy
demand for transportation facili-
ties, and roads will have to be built,
not only to serve as feeders for the
railways and waterways. but to take
from the railroads a part of their
burdens, especially in short-haul
freight
Motor truck freight transporta-
tion has come and come to stay To
a lesser extent, the motor-driven
vehicle has been developed as a
passenger carrier. There is no rea-
son to look for a decreasing use of
the motor in either kind of service
On the contrary. there is every rea-
son to expect that it will be used
more and mere.
Up to the present only a begin
ming has been made in road improve
ment in this country even though
the expenditures during the past
a quarter of a billion dollars an
nually. As the population and
wealth of the nation grow larger.
crease. Unless the effects Of the
peace following the war are very
different from what logically can
be expected, there will be an i'm
mediate Ssrnand for more and bet
ter roads and that demand will have
to be met Road builders should
be prepared to go ahead with their
part Of the work-Good Roads.