Evening star., 1922-01-22

stated, to charge all Of the costs to
the traffic, because benefits accrue to
general property.
"As to the ability of the traffic to
carry this burden 1t was stated, ''it
present are probably not more than
2 per cent OF the total cost of the
transportation: that is, the truck
owner or the automobile owner pays
in road fees only about 81 out OF
every hundred dollars of fixed charges
and operating expenses Therefore.
IL we double this two dollars and
! make it four dollars for licenses or
road fees. We find that the total cost
of transportation would be only in
creased by two dollars. SO that when
our farming communities and other
property holders ask that road con-
struction be stopped SO that road
taxes may be diminished, it would ap-
pear that our road programs might
still proceed il only those who use
the roads are asked to pay for them"
From 1910 to 1921 the motor vehi-
cles increased in number from $4,000
to 9.750.000. or 1900 per cent. and
the trucks increased from IS per cent
to 1913 per cent of total vehicles.
Now there are nearly S.506.00O auto
mobiles and 1,333.000 trucks.
preliminary figures show the in
vestment in highway transport to be
SEQ 100000 outside of cities. including
vehicles. garages. roads-an invest
ment equal to the investment in rail-
transportation" said the statement.
vestment of s10,000.000, with an
alarming turnover Of over s3.O00.oOo
per year. Twelve dollars are spent
on the vehicle each year where 81
is spent on the road. Nearly one
third Of the vehicles are owned by
busses in operation.
Twelve thousand schools are us
ing motor busses for transporting
children. Fifteen hundred motor ex-
lion head of live stock were trans
ported by motor truck in 1921. IN
Connecticut a truck load of silk prod
ucts valued at 100000 passed over
the roads. In Iowa there is one car
! to every As persons. The entire pop
ulatton OF the state of Iowa could be
put in their cars in the morning and
out of the state by night. On the
average there is one car to every ten
persons in the United States.
THE total operating expenses of
motor vehicle traffic, passenger and
| freight, in the whole United States
are SO large that the fixed charges
from capital costs and the additional
maintenance costs arising from the
| road appear to be of less Importance
Il
portation than would be supposed"
Director HIATT. in outlining plans
for this year, said that there is an
important service to be rendered by
| the highway engineer in SO locating
his road that the cost of operation
will be reduced. these costs includ-
ing fixed charges. depreciation, re-
placement, maintenance of vehicle
and road. etc. 1T is hoped" added
! DR.. HIATT. that within the course of
year the cost of operation of vehi-
cles as determined by location and
| character of highways will be fairly
well determined"
Prof. T. r. Agg has accumulated
termined data in connection with the
work of the experiment station of
the Iowa State College. and he Is
also directing work in New England
| in which Harvard University. Yale
University. Massachusetts Institute
!, roads. United States Army. Society OF
Automotive Engineers and the high
way commissions of Massachusetts,
| and Connecticut are cooperating.
highway research include David Bee
croft. Society Of Automotive Engi-
neers; A. ]. Brosseau. National Auto
mobile Chamber of Commerce; w. NJ.
Kinney, American Concrete 1nSti-.
tute: Nelson p. Lewis, American So
ciety for Municipal Improvements;
! H. de B. Parsons. American Society
of Mechanical Engineers; George II.
Pride. National Highway Traffic As
ISOLATION: S. WINERY, American In
| stitute of Consulting Engineers. and
| Col. E. Eveleth Winslow, Corps of
Engineers L. S. Army.
Prof. Agg is directing the work
OF committee on economic theory
| of highway improvement, and H. S.
Mattimore, Pennsylvania state high,
| way department. is chairman of
| committee on character and use Of
| road materials.
| Marked progress is expected by en-
| gineers to be made during the COM
| ing year toward the solution of the
! country's highway problems.