The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-04-10
For the Good of
 The Community

A LABAMA has fallen into line in the good IA roads movement that has been developing throughout the United States during the last few years. With the start made at the first conven- hon of the Alabama Highway Improvement as- sociation here last week it may be taken as the fixed policy of the state or at least of the element represented at that convention to build and main tain highways that will stand the wear and tear of years of hard usage.
 All over the country the people have awakened to the importance of good roads. Hardly day passes but the newspapers carry items from some one or more states or counties telling of highways begun or contemplated, of bond issues to pay the cost of building of steps taken to secure the fed eral aid provided for in recent act of Congress-
 A system of good highways, traversing every part of the state and reaching into the communi- ties more or less removed from railway communi- cation, would bring the people into closer touch with each other and with the outside world and might, in time, supplemep$ the railway systems The New York Tribune, discussing this subject in it's financial department recently said:
 development may a widespread en- poymen of motor trucks of the regular way operations plan by C. A. Morse pres ident of the railway association and director operations charge of engineering and maintenance the rail- way administration Mr. Morse declares that only in rare in branch lines pay expenses holds that would be stroke of for the railroads abolish +bese branch lines where s nossh1a and establish truck service in their stead If the railways would ts he believes that farming communities especially would be encouraged hard would operation of this motor truck service feasible and profitable the very large gain of all concerned"
 The good roads bureau of the United States Department of Labor estimates that $500, 1000, ,000 should be spent this year on connecting highways, and this basis fixes Alabama's proportionate share at $7, 7,500000.
 This is what some other states are doing in the way of highway Constructions
 Washington, 485 miles built and building, and campaign is now on for $30,000,000 bond issue. s4s "A 5
 Missouri planning a campaign for a bond issue of from $4OOOO, 900 to $5O000O00.
 Illinois, at the election last November author ized bond issue of $60,000, ,000, and Pennsyl- vania, $50,000,000.
 Texas is making campaign for an issue of $75,OOO,OOO; Georgia for 40OOO,0OO; Tennessee is planning campaign for an issue of $40 100000 to $50,00O,O00.
 Several states are contributing to the building of the Dixie highway from Miami, Fla to Chi  cagO
 Tests on different kinds of roads recently made by two-ton motor trucks show the following gas oline comsumption Earth road 578 miles per gallon; fair gravel road, 7.19 miles per gallon good gravel road, 9.39 miles per gallon; bitum- inous macadam road, 9: :48 miles per gallon; fair brick road, 988 miles per gallon; good brick road, 11.44 miles per gallon; concrete roads, 11.78 miles per gallon.
 Taking loo miles as the basis, and gasoline at 25 cents a gallon, the cost as shown in this test was Earth road, $4.33; fair gravel road, $3.48; good gravel road, $266; btuminous road, s264 fair brick road, $2.53; good brick road $219 concrete road, $2.12.
 This test demonstrated that there is a very slight difference in the cost of operating trucks over good brick roads and concrete roads, and that the cost of operating over earth road is more than double the cost of operating over either brick or concrete road.
 Not only does the good road save in the mattar