Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1920-02-29
FOOD RIOTS ON
FARMS;;R0ADS
IMPASSABLE
SAYS CHAPLIN
Need of National Highway I'M
perative; Cost of War Could
Be Saved In a Life
time.
BY ROY D. CHAPLIN.
Chairman Highways Committee,
tional Automobile Chamber
Of COmmerce

OF commerce.
In . day when every expenditure
should be rigidly scrutinized and
every effort made to overcome the
burden which the world war has
saddled upon us, the need of ma
tional highway system stands out
more clearly than ever before.
Not one item in the domestic
$ budget of the United States gives
evidence Of such waste and ineffi-
cheney as that displayed in our high
way transportation costs which are
direct reflection of the damage
wrought by poor roads.
Food is Rotting.
Because of this condition, many
cents are added to the cost of the
daily meal of every citizen in the
land, thousands of tons of food still
remain rotting on the farms, and the
burden of meeting our taxes is in
tensihed.
Intelligent Improvement and main
tenance of our highways, at 4 COM
paratively insignificant cost, would
save enough money in transporta-
ton costs to pay off the nations war
debt within the lifetime of the pres
ent generation and leave a handsome
residue in the treasury besides.
This is . large statement but one
susceptible of proof. We have $780,
600 passenger cars in the United
States today. Assume that ma
tional highway system of $4,000
miles should be constructed and
maintained by the government. If
each of these cars travelled but 200
miles year on the national system
= saving of ~ cent a mile in gaso-
line and tire costs would easily be
effected or Z total of $ll7,000,000
yea5.
Big Figures.
Government figures show that
saving of II cents ton mile in
commercial traffic, is made when
roads are improved. The congress
sional investigation OF 1912 deduced
an annual highway traffic of 7OO,-
100000 tons. A conservative state
ment would place the total today
at l,00Q000,000 tons. On the as
sumption that but one-fifth of this
travelled over the national system
(and an improved road always
draws much more) there would be
a ton-mileage saving of $l23,00S-
600. Since the average haul is 10
miles an hour the actual saving per
ton of merchandise would be $780,
100000 year.
Thus in two items we have ar
rived at an annual saving OF $751;
100000, or more than is asked for
over a period of four years in the
bill introduced by Senator Town
send of Michigan, proposing tie
construction of such a system as
that outlined.
/. When the saving in depreciation,
the lowered cost of commodities to
the ultimate consumer. the in
creased valuation of realty and
broadened markets are taken into
account, the sum already named be-
comes small by comparison.
Our counties and states have
recognized the economic importance
of road construction by appropriat-
ing more than $l,000,00 900 to local
improvements. 1t is the nations
part to build and maintain those
highways which are of national inn
portance and which will serve to
effect economy, facilitate interstate
commerce and strengthen the COM
mon defense.
The vision of the United States
bound together by network of du-
rable highways is one which we
should seek to make a reality at
the earliest possible moment.
The means to the end is at hand
in Senator Townsend's measure. 1t
deserves and should have the active
support of every economist, every
business man, farmer, scientist,
evervS American