The Washington herald., 1922-02-05
NATION NOW HAS
SOUND HIGHWAY
POLICY TO WORK
Roads and Vehicles Per
form Real Service to
General Public.
By N. A. c. c.

ApSh sAauhD ool 40 Nhc pCAi0a
which there has been the most for
ward looking equalization OF in
dustriai. State and national policies.
within the short span of. its days
we have finally come to a realization
of the fundamental fact that after
all neither the highway nor the We
hicie which travels over II can be
considered as things apart. Today
We know that each 10 but an aspect
of highway transport. and that IL
Is only as the two together perform
real service to the general public
that either can be of lasting value.
The booster" period has passed.
In the future progress in highway
transport must anc win be meas
ured upon the basis OF economic
facts both from the standpoint OF
indi viduaI transportation and from
the broader viewpoint of an inter-
relationship OF all forms of trans
portation.
VIII Help Every Ones business,
The zutomotive manufacturer
must recognize this as he plans his
production, the automotive dealer
must study is nd analyze it as he
surveys his selling territory. the
highway engineer must take it into
account as he complies his esti-
mates for highway construction and
maintenance. The city planning eS-
pert must reckon with its influence
Ms he measures the future develop
| ment OF his municipality. Its effect
will be- found in real estate valua-
| tions. in our recreational areas, in
| education, in every phase OF life
here and abroad.
In the analysis of the events
| which have brought the highway
| transport officials Of the country to
| these conclusions, three factors
stand out in sharp relief, although
no one of them can be considered
separately. One is the enactment
Of the Townsend Federal highway
act OF 1921. a second the progress
! made by the Bureau OF Agriculture
under the leadership Of T. III. Mac
Donald and in close cooperation
with State highway department, and
third. the development of the work
of the highway and highway trans
sort education committee.
A Permanent Investment.
In the passage OF the amendments
to the Federal aid act. the nation
has been provided with a sound and
Intelligent highway policy. Through
its recognition OF the need for an
adequate and connected interstate
I highway system. through its con-
centration of Federal funds upon
State highway systems not exceed
ing per cent OF the total mile
age Of each State, through its dras-
tic maintenance requirements and
through rigid standards of con-
struction in which future as well
as prevailing traffic needs must be
taken into account. the act mark.
a distinct advance over all our pol
icies of the past.
| There Is necessary to a full work
! out only a continuance of ample ap-
propriations, such as the fve-year
programme OF l00,0o0.00O a year
for five years already before Con.
gress and supported by strone
public sentiment. II is nconceiv.
able that this will not be granted
but here there is a definite field fol-
endeavor for all who believe in
sound highway development
Bureau of Roads q Pioneer.
The work of the Bureau Of Pub
| lie Roads has been of a pioneer
character and has led into many
and diverse fields. including physi-
cal and economic research, dissent.
nation OF highway facts and broad
studies in finance administration
and statistics. a
Perhaps one of the most valuable
studies now in progress is that Of
the relation of the road to the We
hicle. An examination of the facts
Is still far from complete. but al
ready we are gaining a new con-
ception of those problems and one
that offers distinct announcement
Looking back we can perceive
now that while motor vehicle use
began a sharp increase in 1915,
which has brought the country from
something more than 100000 We
hicles in 1915 to 100000 900 motor
vehicles in 1921, that whilethe curve
Of highway appropriations began ia
move upward in 1916 (when the
first Federal aid act was passed)
that II was not until 1920 and 1921
that the curve of actual 'construc-
ton and maintenance began to as
cend. The causes are apparent. War
needs. freight congestion, high costs
of material and labor held back
construction. The highways were
subjected to their most intensive
use at a time when maintenance
was least possible.
Imprsved Building Methods.
In consequence public thought
was led to the belief that the new
form Of highway transport was too
heavy for our highways and imme-
diately there followed a wave of
stringent regulation.
Today the curve OF construction
and maintenance are beginning to
catch the curves OF use and appro-
priation. and In its ascent new and
encouraging facts are placed before
the user of highway transport, as
well as before the highway builder
and the legislator. American genius
is meeting modern American stand
ards Of transportation, and as Il
does SO vexatious problems are
viewed with a new sense of proper
tion which. while It does not allay
the irritation which they cause, still
gives evidence that they are not
final in their influence.
Meanwhile, too, the scientists of
the government are searching our
underlying truths of transport.
They are examining the effects of
frost. f>varying types of design. OF
traffic of many and different types.
They are studying economics in an
effort to balance the relation of We
hicle and highway.
! In all fairness II could not be
said that they have arrived at final
conclusions. We cannot now affirm
any exact formula as to the rela-
tions mentioned; but in the thor
ough. practical manner these prob.