The Washington times., 1920-01-10
BETTER HIGHWAYS
WILL AID BUSINESS
Motor Industry Believes Road Con-
struction Should Consider
Heavy Traffic.

America reeds not oily more and
more improved highways that the
full possibilities OF the motor truck
fully realized, but America necdr>and
should insist upon better highways,
roads built for heavy traffic.
One OF the lessons America learned
from the world war was the great
undeveloped field open to the motor
truck. We had known that. OF course.
but 1t remained for the war TO bring
IL home forcibly TO every man, wom-
an and child in the country.
Another lesson learned from tho
war has been In the matter OF good,
substantial roads. 1t has been truly
said that France was saved by her
roads. And everyone knows who has
been in France that the roads were OF
loo light construction to stand the
heavy traffic that went over tbcm.
Roads Broken Down.
The result was n breaking down OF
the road. not seriously enough to in
terferc with traffic. but bad enough
10 makc-the going hard. France had
built her roads without vision, with
out looking ahead to the days when
great fleets of automobiles, heavy
wagons and heavily loaded trucks
would be plying them. AS result.
French roads in the heavy traffic zone
need a great deal of attention.
And, through the study of roads
that this has occasioned. / believe
am safe in saying that of all vehicles
that use the highways the motor
truck probably causes the least dam
age in proportion to the service it
renders-that is, upon roads that have
been properly constructed.
American trucks are hauling 350,-
100000 tons of farm products each
year, to say nothing of other prod
ucts. And so 1t is safe TO say they
are very mild on roads compared to
their service rendered.
There are two things that cause
damage to roads. One Is the impact
OF weight. The other is the wear on
the surface of the road. With light
roads. such as were found in France,
the weight impact does much damage,
II the roadbed is faulty, wight OF
course. tends to break it.
But with the well-constructed road
the greatest destroyer of road surface
is the steel tire. such as on the buggy
or heavy or light wagon. The steel
tire hits the roadway with an un-
lnpdSt. ihiS tohSN"hN' vi
giving pounding crushes the stone
and skaters all of the particles. Too
steel tires, because they arc compara-
lively narrow, cut and dig deep ruts.
Tire Equipment.
In other words, steel tires literally
pulverize the road surface. The sue.
tion of fast-moving pneumatic tires
lifts this dust and scatters it to the
winds.
But that is not true of motor trucks
Usually they are equipped with broad
rubber tires. They travel at slow
speeds compared to the passenger
auto, the motorcycle and other We
hicles. They do not lift the dust and
consequently, cause little damage to
the surface of the properly construct
ed road because there is practically
no suction from the truck tire.
The lesson America should take
from France and from the study OF
the causes of road damage Is that OF
roads for the future--roads with sub
stantial foundations. True, our roads
now are of, much heavier construction
than those in foreign countries, but
we must look ahead to the day Of the
motor truck train, the possibilities OF
which, even on great cross-country
hauls, VIC have already experienced
through the tests of the Government
during the rush to get war materials
TO the seaboard.