The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-05-29
Permanent Highway improvements

Speaking of permanent highway improve
ments, the city and county officials should place
the emphasis on permanent because an outlay
of the public funds always should entail satisfac-
tory results and if these results are not of an en-
during character, the money, broadly speaking,
is wasted. This principle should be uppermost
in the minds of public bodies that authorize the
making and payment of public improvements, and
particularly so of highways.
A new understanding of the vital Importance
of highways not only from a local but also from
a national standpoint has taken possession of the
national mind Until few years ago, we looked
upon road making as an auxiliary of our city and
county business, but today we realize that, in
stead of being secondary concern, it is one of
the most vital items in the public administration.
Highways are the arteries of trade For long
time we looked upon the railroads as the only es-
sential means of transportation in the United
States forgetful of the fact that rail lines in the
very nature of the case cannot reach every ham,
let and isolated district of nation. Roads are
the mediums that link outlying districts with the
county seat and the railroad stations If the roads
good, the markets of the world are brought
nearer to community. If they are bad, they en-
tail increased cost of transportation to get farm
products to the market and retard the growth
and development of community
If highways are an advantage to the COM
nlunity it follows in logical sequence that the bet
ter the road the greater the prosperity. Now a
road is good not because it has been temporarily
made SO, but because the Improvement will be a
lasting one. It is the height of folly to waste
thousands of dollars, for instance, in Wayne
county on the improvement of roads that in a
course of five or ten yeayS must again receive at
tenton that will cost thousands of dollars for
repairs. It is good Business judgment to make an
improvement of permanent material that will
stand the ravages of service and the wearing eff
feet of the elem4nts No road should be laid
down in Wayne county that is not made with this
principle in view. The county will gain more if q
short stretch of rpad costing $4,000 is made OF
brick than if nanA miles are constructed of ma
eadam or other material that will require con
slant repair and attention. A good example OF
the value of permanent road construction is seer
in the brick pavement of Main street in Rich
mond. This pavement was put down many years
ago. and yet it has withstood heavy traffic ane
constant wear. If Wayne county decade agt
had hard-surfaeed portions of the public high
ways with permanent mateGal instead of macad
am, we would now have the beginning Of a goot
hard-surfaced county highway system.
The wear which county highways will receiv
in the future will be much greater than in tn
past, for motor vehicles of all kinds are increas
ing in number and the loads which motor. truck
are carrying are constantly increasing in ton
mage causing heavier wear and making create
demands on the surface of the roads. For tina
reason it is an absolute necessity that Wayn
county at once begin using brick or other substar
tial material for the construction of its highways
It is argued that a brick pavement is an eS