Evening star., 1922-09-17
LEADERS ASK MORE
MONEY FOR ROADS
Civic Committee Tells Gen.
eraI Lord of DepIorabIe
Highway Conditions Here.
BUREAU TO HEAR CLAIMS
Damage to Nations Prestige Seen
in Districts Failure to Keep
Up Lee Highway.

An appeal for more money for the
rapidly deteriorating streets Of the
District was made to Brig. Gen,
Lord, director of the budget, by a
committee representing thirty civic,
fraternal and patriotic organizations
at a conference yesterday in the
budget Office.
Gen. Lord assured the committee
that if its members and the Com
missioners could convince him at
the hearing on the District estimates
that the need for the street repair
items is so great as to justify re-
ductions being made elsewhere in
the budget. the plea would be favor
ably considered. He reminded the
committee, however, of the dtermina-
tion of President Harding to keep
the expenses of the government
within its revenues.
The Commissioners and the COM
mittee. Gen. Lord said. will be given
ample opportunity at the hearings to
be held by the budget bureau to pre-
sent their claims for good roads along
with other items in the District esti-
mates.
Pleased With Reception.
The committee apparently was
pleased with the sympathetic hearing
granted by Gen. Lord. 1t was com
posed of Claude NJ. Bennett, chair
man, vice president of the Lee High
way Association; DIR. S. NJ. Johnson.
general director of the Lee Highway
Association; Charles F. Roberts.
president of the Ktwanis Club: NJ.
o: Eldridge of the American Auto
mobile Association; Thomas Bradley,
president of the Washington Board
of Trade, and Col. Clarence o. Sher-
rill, officer in charge of public build
ings and grounds, who appeared as
a member of the executive committee
Of the Lee Highway Association.
Gen. Lord was told by Mr.. Eldridge
that the appropriations for roads in
the District during and since the war
had been decreased. while traffic had
increased fourfold; that seven miles
of the Lee highway through the Ma
tional Capital compared very unfaVor-
ably with the highway through Mary
land and created bad impression on
thousands of tourists, and that auto
mobile owners pay the greater pro-
portion of the taxes assessed in the
District. He also pointed out that
Maryland had made restrictive laws
which compelled the motorists of the
District to pay immense amounts in
license fees, which went to the Mary
land treasury, and that Maryland re-
fused to enter into reciprocal ar
rangement with the District because
of the bad condition of its streets.
Neglect Is Destructive.
Col Sheriff. emphasized that the
prestige of the nation required the
main thoroughfares be put in and kept
in good condition. He pointed out
to Gen. Lord that some of the items
in the Districts budget might go over
loss
but that any further neglect to repair
the rapidly deteriorating streets
would be destructive and, if delayed,
would entail appropriation three or
four times as great as would be re-
quired to put them in condition now.
Mr.. Bradley made it clear that the
comittee was not asking for excess
sive appropriations or for any ap-
tropriations for the development of
suburbs, through street improve
ments, but only for sufficient
amount to promote the investment
already made in pavements that had
deteriorated to such an extent that
if they are not soon repaired they
will have to be entirely rebuilt. The
committees interest. he said, IS in the
main arterial roads of the District,
such as the Lee highway, the road
to Frederick, and similar roads ar
fording ingress into and egress out /
of the city.
Smooth Road to Pacific.
The Lee Highway Association, DIR.
Johnson said, already has secured the
of a series OF states,
cities, towns and communities from
the south bank of the Potomac to
San Diego to close all of the gaps
and smooth out the rough places in
the Lee highway. and by July / OF
next year it is the associaitons IN
tention to have a smooth road TO
every mile of the 5000 from the Dis
trict to the Pacific coast.
DR.. Johnson also declared that the
pavement conditions from New York
city to the District line on the
Bladensburg road are good. and that
the gaps and rough places in the
seven miles of the Lee highway
through Washington should be elimi-
mated SO that the tide of travel flow
ing over the highway route through
the city would not fnd Washington's
section comparing unfavorably with
the rest of the road. He pointed out,
however, that while the Lee Highway
Association is particularly interested
In a single thoroughfare 1t did not
wish to appear to ask for any prefer
entiai treatment, but 1s cooperating
with the various other organizations
represented on the committee for
the program as outlined by Mr.. Brad
ley for adequate Improvement and
proper maintenance of the main
arterial roads Of the District.