The evening herald. (Klamath Falls, Or.) 1906-1942, 1921-08-13
ONE BILLION FOR
PAVING PROGRAM
AVAILABLE, j. s.

states, counties. townships and mum.
cipalitien announced within the pnst
month aa contemplating highway
Improvement 10 a Grand total Of
3i7o,307,36s.3s. ......
More than 81 ,ooo, 900 ,ooc f. avail-
able for good roads and streets IN
tho United States. This sum. large
an II In. represents an Increase over
tho highway revenues OF 1914 OF only
about $50 per cent. while highway
traffic has Increased $50 per cent.
There are now 2.500. 900 miles OF
highways In the United StatoJ. OF
which only an approximate 100. 900
miles are improved with modern
pavemcnts When compared to
sums expended for iusuries by the
picnSure-ioving public the American
highway budget does not look so I'm.
pressive.
The people OF this country spend
$1,000. 100000 year for candy.
$500 900. 900 for automobiles. ~
o0o. 900 900 for autom obiie tires. si.-
a76.ooo.ooo for gasoline. Si.5Oo.-
100000 for carpets and rugs. si.-
o50.000.000 for cisars. cigarettes.
tobacco and snuff. and 1850. .o0o.-
coo for jeweiry, perfumery and cos
metics. On the other hand the sums
spent for roads and streets are seven
times greater than those expended for
water supply improvements. three
times those for sewerage work and
i6 times those for bridges.
In connection with the road build
ing program public officials are
casting about TO find the types OF
pavement best suited to their pur.
pose and best calculated to save
money TO the Taxpayers and those
who use the highways. II now cos,r
from 10000 to 100000 a mile TO
construct modern paved highways,
depending on the dimensions OF the
pavement. the Kind OF material used
and the local conditions encountered
such as labor costs and sub-soii CON
ditions. Naturally the purpose OF the
highway officials IL to get the bcs,
for the least expenditure. consistent
with durability and service. ga.
1T is high time says NJ. o.
EldridEe. director OF roads. Amer
lean Automobile Association. TO pay
more attention to the effect OF the
various road surfaces on motor ve-
hicies instead of considering only
the damage by the motor vehicle TO
tho road, Compare. for instance. the
smooth rcsiiIence OF Fifth Avenue.
New York tpavcd with sheet asphalt.
with the rough. gritty and flinty sur.
faces. Tho saving In tire costs alone
would pay the difference In construc-
tion costs In many instances"
According to J. II. Penny backcr.
former chief economist for the Unit
cd States bureau Of public roads. de.
termination OF justifiable outlay for
the proposed Improvement Of roads
and streets from anticipated service.
should call for at least as careful a
survey and estimate as the engineer
now provides for the construction
work itself. 1T is suggested that for
tho potential local traffic" says Mr.
Pennybacker. "a zone be blotted to
include the territory which might
logically be served by the highway
after Improvement. within this zone
the Investigator could make an ap'
proximate automobile census and no
acquaint himself with the business.
Industrial and social factors ana
possibilities OF the zone as to es'
tabiish a basis for estimating both
the saturation point In motor vehicle
ownership and the average mileage
per car. The cost OF operation per
ton mile on the old road should be
ascertained and from this should
be subtracted the estimated cost OF
operation per ton mile on the ih,-
proved highway established by com.
parative data OF operating costs on
highways similar to the type or types
under consideration for the Inn
provement. This method leaves to
tho engineer the same discretion as
ne now customarily exercises In &C.
lection OF design but subjects 1t to
the test 6f financial Justification
This saving In cost OF traffic oper-
alton per ton mile when applied u
the total existing and potential In
crease In ton miles gives the gross
annual saving In traffic operation ct
tributable to the Improvement, |
The rapidity with which the Amer
lean naonIo are turning to duStleSs