Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1919-04-20

only by the possibilities of motor truck transportation. Facility and economy in this field depends on the character of roads; the better the roads the bigger the city
 The American city which does not have a market diameter of 200 miles is not approximating it's com- mercial possibilities; it hasn't develop ed it's "home market" to it's maxmum business pr6ductiveness. In nine cases out of ten these cities permit their business opportunities to stall in a mudhole.
 The United States government has voted $266, ,750,0OO for federal aid to states in their road building program. This sum either is available or will be by the end of the fiscal year 1921. Under the federal-aid plan the Uni ted States government stands prac- tically half the cost of construction. If the states therefore avail of this opportunity to translate federal funds into permanent State improvements the money spent on road construct ion by states and the federal govern ment to the end of the fiscal year 1921 will be not less than $533,500,- 900.
 Twenty years ago the market limit of the average city was about 10 miles. It was no further removed from the heart of the toWn-court- house square, if you please--than it was possible for a team to pull wagon on dirt road and make the round trip between the morning and evening chores. Much is said these days about "seasonable employ ment," meaning such work as must be done in certain favorable sea- sons of the year. Seasonable em- ployment is another term for period 100 percent efficient industrial sys- tenn. The mud road makes season able business" which means that periodically there is practically no business because roads are impass- able. A 100 per cent efficient busi, ness system will eliminate periodic suspensions of business activities, even if to do so means the construc- tion of hardsurface roads.
 The division of public works and construction developments in the United States Department of Labor has been Investigating the effects of D good roads and motor trucks on mar keting conditions and the increase of business in commercial centers. the results of this investigation can be summarized in statement of the situation in one city, Indianapolis, Ind. The shopping district of Indian apolis is circle the diameter of which is approximately 200 miles. ! Three instrumentalities make this possible-interurban lines, roads which are open to travel the year around and automobile trucks.
 MT. Thomas Snyder, secretary of the Return Loads Bureau" of the Indianapolis chamber of commerce, and to whom much credit for the success of the movement is due, makes the following statement on this Indiana city's effort to take ad- vantage of the roads and motor trucks ill developing business.
 The country has heard much of the advantages of good roads and the possibilities of the motor car as assets to farming and business. Con- crete examples of how cities are realizing on these assets are less fre- quently cited. There is no longer need | of submitting arguments as to the economy and. efficiency to be had in motor transportation. That has been established beyond question. It is equally we'll established that good roads are paying investment, the better the road the greater the re- turns on the investment; d we'll graded dirt road is better invest ment than a chain of mudholes, a gravel pike is better investment than graded dirt road, cement or hard-surfaced road is better paying investment than a gravel pike--the point is "the best road community can build also is the best investment the community can make" Indiana polls has the road system making it accessible, it has the motor trucks One way by which the city uses these assets for business extensions is explained by Mn Snyder as fol- lows
 lndlana's Return Loads Movement. ! The wars interference with nor ,mal transportation facilities was, perhaps, the deciding factor in the e indianapolis chamber of commerce's experiment to get the maximum util- lty out of motor trucks. The possi- bilities in this field had been realized by many, but it was only when war conservation encouraged new meth ods and necessity mothered business inventions, that the return loads movement was taken up.
 Indiana has an unusual number to motor trucks. Also it has good roads not all it needs, but comparatively more, perhaps than most States. The s purpose behind the return loads movement is to see to it that a truck coming into Indianapolis under load, instead of returning empty, should be loaded; that an Indianapolis truck carrying a load to farmer 70 or 50 miles out, or to suburb, should have a load to haul back to Indianapolis. AS has been said, this movement began to meet the trans.