El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-09-01
THIS TRIP OF GOVERNOR AND Parry
VALUE OF GOOD ROADS,

THE value Of a good road and an automobile never
better demonstrated locally than Friday When motor
cars brought Gov. W Hobby and his party to Fl Paso
rom Van Horn distance Of 122 miles, when deTaiment
made train which they had expected come,
hours late. The automobiles, able TO make good time
except part Of the road between Van Horn and
Sierra Blanca sped the party tins for the program
to be carried through The combination of automobiles
and good roads took the place Of the train
A few days ago, four automobiles kept up with a
passenger train from FL Paso TO Sierra Blanca At least
two of the cars were Of high power medium priced
cars and rot Of the speeding variety Given first class
roads throughout the country, the automobile would rival
the train for passenger service and the motor truck would
rival the freight train for express and kinds Of freight
service Touring would be made easy, TO the pleasure Of
motorists the profit Of communities they visited and
it is desirable to have auxiliary express and freight
service sometimes ust now the 25h infantry, at Nogales
Ariz has line Of motor trucks the 65-mile road
Tucson, hauling supplies for the army camp It IS
emergency undertaken because the camp commander
ders Nogales prices too high but good roads and motor
trucks make his enterprise possible
The Texas highway commissioners accompanying Gov.
Hobby have taken keener interest N good roads Tor
west Texas by reason Of this visit meeting Of the
commissioners and west Texas county judges held at
Van Horn in which financing road construction in this
part Of the state considered closely and IS not too
much to hope that larger appropriations for roadbudng
in west Texas viii result.
In the meantime the national government is fully alive
to the importance Of good roads Of aiding travel
and and the growth Of communities The depart
meut of agriculture reports that many important road
projects are progress Of construction Even greater
ones to be undertaken States everywhere have been
quick the advantage Of the government aid PROPOSE
ton and have been filing their proposals and receiving
their allotments Of federal funds
Based reports from "A Of these states s2ssossooo
vas spent last year rural roads and bridges to which
amount should be added estimated s14oooooo for the
value Of worked out taxes" and convict labor. So
s3o9Oooo0o spent In road construction improve
outside the limits Of incorporated cities and towns
Il does not include any town sinking fund payments
interest O road bridge bonds.
There is much criticism in the east what is de-
csred be the deplorsbe condition Of main roads and
said their forced during the because Of the
congestion of railroad traffic brought the fact Of their
unfit condition sharply to the attention Of federal and
state authorities However that may BE- It IS fact that
the trucks hauling government materials during the war
period together with the trucks hauling commodities for
civilian use generally got through to their destinations
which better than transportation And It IS fact
also that an A1zonian from Phoenix almost the
Atlantic seaboard this in 10 days driving light
Of comparatively low power, and stopping often on
the way It wasn't train speed but might have been
worse and might have been better the roads had been
first class all the way
The reconstruction of the eastern and middle western
through roads has been provided for the federal aid law
and the states have been only too glad to take advantage
of that offer Of cooperation. For instance the old
tional highway, extending from the Potomac to the
Mississippi long stretches of which Of dirt and in