Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1919-12-11
INTEREST IN ROADS GROWS
More Attention Now Given 70 I'm
provement In Highways Than
Ever Before In History.

The good roads movement Il seeing
big revival now that business Is
becoming normal. The most impor.
tant program that has recently come
10 our attention Is that OF the state
of Michigan. which has Just voted In
favor OF a S5OOOO.OO0 program that,
when carried out. will place Michigan
on the map big 80 fur ns good roads
are concerned, writes fiirkett L. WI.
liams, truck sales manager for large
motorcar corporation.
Everywhere else you see also more
interest In good roads than In any
period IN our history. II r. true 20 say
that the war and it's needs taught as
the value OF good roads. Perhaps II
did. Perhaps II brought home to those
duh ears OF higher ups the supreme
importance Of gh intelligent system OF
navlgnble highways. But more and
more a comes home TO the man who
stud'Ss "a Eitaas.sSl that back AZ tbs
rood aids movement must be the or.
binary man. the average man who
pays taxes and votes aud thinks AZ he
votes.
The farmer or rural dwellcr IN Ger
tain sections for long time stood In
the wayne wanted the roads. but he
didn't want 20 pay for them, lie did
not realize that In the long run good
roads pay for themselves out Of saw.
lngs made TO the community In haul
age OF people aud merchandise But
the farmer today Is reckoning in units
OF time
Yes. he realizes the value Of min.
utes throughout the seaaon--and he is
just as keen In conserving time as the
clty-bred man who operates big fac
tory; II anything. he Is n bit keener.
for seasons do not wait and crops must
be sowed and cultivated. reaped and
marketed at the right time. He has
convinced himself that time is money
And he knows that good roads save
time and that they save time largely
because they make II possible 10 get
satisfactory services from motorcark
and mOtortrucks. And he IS not one
bit blind to tine fact that operating cost
is largely Influenced by road condl
ticns-that good roads make gasoline
more elastic, rubber and steel more
durable and bring markets nearer, and
that good roads increase property val
ucs out OF all properties % the cost
Of good roads to any one individual
Therefore, the farmer ~ now back VI
road Improvement.
Does the city man feel any interest
In good roads7 Ask your neighbor,
II he doesn't own an automobile he ex
poets 10 own one, and he knows all
about where the good roads are and
what they mean. But when his infiu
ence counts big, the greatest impetus
has naturally sprung from the numer.
Gus army Of motorcar owners TO whom
motorcar ownership has made the ter
ritory for miles around hts nelghbor.
hood.
Counties and states where good
roads have become steady part OF a
progressive program Of legislation have
seen values shoot up In the most sur
prlsing fashion, and this, again, has
brought home the fact that good roads
pay for themselves. Thus 1t is natu.
raj that the years 1919 and 1920 will
gee the most stnpendous good roads pro.
grams inaugurated In America that the
world has ever known. This will
result IN the wider utility of motor
cars ard motortrucks and, of course.
prove a big aid to the solution of the
freight traffic problem.