Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1921-12-01
Auto Repairs More Than Road Upkeep

That the sums spent on motor We
hieles repairs is vastly greater than
The sums spent on highways paving is
the Statement; of Prof. w. X. HIATT. re-
Gently appointed director of the advisory
BOARD on highways research, Division
Of Engineering, National Research
council.
There are Sio,OO0,ooo.oOo invested
in self-propelled vehicles in the United
States and Canada says Prof. Hat.
and the turnover is more than $1,000
100000 annua ly." To this should be
added gasoline, oil and garage costs,
which would bring the total to ap-
proNimately S. OOO,OOO,ooO.
approximately figures available in
dictate tina the annual expenditures on
The automobiles and trucks that run
over the roads is ten times as large as
he amount of money spent each year
on the country roads themselves. Prof.
Hiatt ana his committee believe that the
acts affecting the cost of vehicle opera
ton due To road surfaces must be en-
phaSized and the future must bring
intensive research for the purpose Of
extending the life of the roads through
proper construction and maintenance.
In the early days of motor traffic
practically all automobiles had pneu.
matte tires. When run at high speed
he wheels dispersed the rock-dust
binder of the macadam road and sat.
cred the stone a more tenacious
binding material was conceded to be ehc
"medy. Then came the large mn
.or truck running on solid tires ard
imposing a weight of many tons. Thus
a new problem-how TO prevent crush.
ne and abrasion os road surfaces when
subjected TO the impact of these solid
tired, heavily haded trucks. The Only
thing to do was to put the shock absorl.
ing principle of the inflated automot ID. |
tire into the surface of the road, thus
easing strain on the road foundat. u |
the road surface and the vehicle
Had it been suggested ten or fifteen +
years ago that rural taxpayers resort
to city types of asphalt paving il void t.
have seemed preposterous propoS.t.'r I
but with present expenditures for ru-
portant country roads ranging tom .
$4,000 to $4,000 a mile it is not sur /
prsing that engineers should study r''l
subject from the practical and comrnu ,
sense premise of actual and economist /
achievement.
According to ]. E. Pennybacker, ior-
mer chief economist for the United |
States Bureau Of Public Roads, deter. /
mination of justifiable outlay for the
proposed improvement of roads and
streets from anticipated service, should
call for at least as careful survey |
and estimate as the engineer now pro-
vides for the construction work itself |
This method, he says, leaves to the cr
gineer the same discretion as he row |
customarily exercises in selection Of
design, but subjects il to the test Of
HndHCldl luStlHCdtlOH. Inc Saving III |
cost of traffic operation per ton mile,
determined by careful investigation,
when applied to the total existing and
potential increase in ton miles, accord
ing to Mr.. Pennybacker, will give tire
gross annual saving in traffic operation
attributable to the improvement OF the
road.
Investigation shows that during the
years 1915 to 1920 the price of blum.
nous paving materials increased only
65 per cent, while highway labor ia
creased $50 per cent. and the price Of
other road building materials rose from
90 to $50 per cent. Coss Of both Ia
Dor and materials are now on the de-
cline, however, and there is a strong
reaction in favor Of reduced freight
rates. All OF this, of course, means
cheaper highways.