Arizona republican., 1919-01-26

memorial boulevard. and runt past Nerdun. What could be a better time to launch a real system of transcon- tinental highways in the United States than now? Millions of American doughbodys' are returning to their na tive land, where they expect employ ment and the kind of work they are used to. Our cross country roads un- der plan now represent mileage of about 50,000 miles. At generous esti- mate of S20, 000 a mile it would cost only $l,000, ,0d0000 to construct the system. That is a less amount than the railways demanded. Why shouldn't the government spend as much on highways as on railways? If we had to build a sufficient number of miles of railroad track and equipment to haul all the goods, freight, materials and supplies that were hauled by mo tor trucks during the war, the cost Auld probably be around the amount of the indemnity Germany will have to pay the allies and it would take so many years that by the time the line was built we would have to begin all over again to take care of the in creased freight that had been accu- muiatins during the construction.
 While this may sound fantastic and eXaggeratiYe, it at least proves that America is waking up to the necessity of improving her highways. and if only one-half the number of highways now considered, are built within the next five years. the country will have solved one of it's greatest problems for some time to come.
 It would seem that the terrific con- gestion at all shipping points of goods and supplies that blocked the ter minals a year ago because there was not enough equipment 10 move them, would make q lasting impression on every business man in the country, and prove that the one thing needed now is transportation equipment. i'm proved highways, elimination of all poor roads that delayed shipping schedules and boosted the cost of transportation way out of proportion ! Yet in some states there are men who still have to be convinced of the benc- fits to be derived from improved high ways in every part of the country
 The state of Nebraska realizes the necessity of prompt action in the mat i ter of improvement in state highways as was shown at a recent meeting il i Omaha. It was decided that good roads vii not come to Nebraska unti the men who use the highways tho | most are shown that they will be ben 1 efited by such improvements.
 1 This necessitates a thorough cam paisn of education that must first stil 1 the farmers out of their present statt 1 of inertia on the subject. They mus be made to see that poor roads are [ liability, while good roads are an as- | set, and that it is much cheaper to paN taxes on good roads, than to pay ar eXorbitant overhead expense of Xe- hicles on boad roads.
 step in the right direction is tha | of the statewide Nebraska Good Road! association cooperating with all stat, road building, seeing that general traf fic routes are given the consideration due them, and aiding in working out general good roads plan based on it! business needs. Such a plan does no only insure a saving of time and eX pense, but it insures an efficient an( properly prepared road-one that vii stand up under the traffic. because i is built by an association that has definite purpose in mind, and that i to build q road that will stand tn wear for long time to come.
 
 way for making good roads history when at convention of the Washing ton State Good Roads association re gently it was recommended that tn state highway commissioner establis evening schools for the instruction c employees a road construction camp. whereby those employees desiring to be come more pr-ficient in the details c road construction may receive tn necessary technical instructions fror the resident engineers.
 Now that the war is over, an activ campaign is to be inaugurated, as fol lows:
 (a) The building of highways int neglected agricultural districts, so tha farm products may be transporte upon gasoline propelled trucks. (b Necessary roads should be constructe throughout the state to give a com plete state wide means of transporta
 tion to all people of the state from a parts thereof Co That special atten tion be given to the development
 roads in the districts with large agr cultural production. so that the co! of transportation may be reduced 10 minimum. (d) That the present lay | providing for maximum vehicle loaC be amended to prove a maximum loa | that trucks shall carry, taking int
 consideration the speed of the truck. | Michigan, to maintain her prestis
 as a state, must begin work immed
 ately on plans for building the bigge
 and best system of truck lines ar | highways in the country. A campaia | of education for amendment to u constitution to permit a bond issue | S20,000,000 to 50,000,000 is advocate | by the good roads enthusiasts
 | Commissioner Rogers is heartily favor of some sort of bond issue f the improvement of the Michigan roai
 faster than it will be possible to do by direct taxation-that all the coul
 tries in the state should work und county road system and thus be ah