Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-07-04

The man who never gets out of
sight of the tall buildings, as well as
the man who has yet TO see a city
skyscraper should be a booster for
better roads. Highways are used in
transporting practically every ar
tiCle OF food at some stage in It's
journey to the consumers table. Bad
roads add to the cost of tranSpOrta-
ton, but good roads cut marketing
costs.
From the time when farm prod
uctS were first hauled i'll wagons
to markets there has been an interest
in better roads as a means of reduc-
ing thee OSt of transportation, but
improved highways mean more now
because of the extensive use Of
motor trucks in hauling products
from the farm to the railroad sta
ton or direct to the city markets.
Trucks are not only replacing horse
transportation but in many cases
they are experimenting and even DO
ing the work OF railroads. In fact.
motor trucks offer solution of
modern transportation problems, but
roads built only for hOrSe-draWn We
hicles or light automobiles will
break down under heavy motor trat-
tiC.
Maintenance of thousands of miles
of roads so that the enormous gov
eminent and commercial truck traffic
of the past two years could move
has taxed the abilities and called
forth every energy fti ana plan on d,I'
states officials found themselves
without sufficient funds 10 handle
properly the repair and rebuilding
work necessary. Nearly all OF them
had to struggle under the handicap
of an insufficient labor supply, and
all had to meet the Increased cost of
labor and material.
War Lessons Aid III Peace
Only a few states were unaffected
BY the restrictions on the supply
and transportation OF materials
which had to be brought from Il dis
lance None escaped the difficulties
which followed the great and rapId
entrance into the wal, From New
England to the Pacific coast new de-
mandS were made unOn the highways,
and unusual conditions developed
everywhere in maintenance and con
StTr1ction. In several states high
tyne roads. which had originally been
constructed without sufficient fouh-
dation to meet the new demands, had
to be rebuilt, and part of this con
Struction work was carried on Whlle
the heavy traffic was kept n70"'ng;
The extensive use of motor trucks
for transportation during WIZ time
has emphasized the possibilities of
Well-bui1t roads as q means or mar
kating farm and other products.
Solving road problems when there
was a constant procession of heavily
loaded trucks travelling over them
has been a great lesson to road OIL
Gals. which win be put TO coed use
in peace times.
The federal aid bodybuilding pro-
gram for this year is the most stu
Dendous in the history of the world.
The expenditures for road cCnStruc-
ton for the year are likelYl OF reach
$500, 100000. Plans have been made
for the construction Of continuous
highway systems, the states through
which the highways are to pass CO.
operating with each other as never
before Improved roads will not
terminate at state lines, but Will run
from one large marketing center to
another.
free trucks, Added Appropriations
More than $45,O0O,00 worth of
motor trucks, to be used in road con-
Structon work, will be distributed
by the secretary of agriculture
through the bureau of public roads
to the state highway departments.
These trucks, about 10000 in num-
Der, have been declared surplus by
the war department, and all that the
states must do to acquire them is to
pay the loading and freight charges
The trucks range in capacity from
two to five tons, 1000 of them are
new. and all are declared to be in
serViceable condition. They will be