The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1922-06-04

cles, We are prone 10 regard highway construc-
ton as a development of the last quarter of a
century and as purely an American concep-
ton.
BY the same standards we are likely 10 re-
gard the growing taxes imposed for highway
building as another purely American and
wholly recent development in the record of
mankind.
A very little reading of history and a very
little travel abroad will disabusc our minds of
both these conceptions.
Mans battle for good roads has been going
on for thousands Of years, ever since prehis
torie man cleared a path through the jungle or
built his trail TO his rooyt in a cliff. Traffic ON
wheels, the bone diggers assure us, originated
in China and Egypt where carts were first in
vented, aud in both those ancient lands the
people were called upon 10 build the roads,
through their own labor hired with their
money collected as taxes.
Thu Romans, master road builders, had 30
paved highways out of Rome. They drove their
numbering chariots with iron trimmed wheels
over pavements Of cut stone, bricks and min
eral cement. The joy riders Of those days
lounged in reed work baskets mounted on sol
i'll wheels about a foot thick. They rode, be-
yond a doubt, in as much comfort as many a
man in his motor ear making his way over
some Of cur New Mexico highways Of today
ON which thousands OF dollars of perfectly
good money have been spent. Tax levies, Of
labor or money, built the Roman roads. The
Roman system IL getting road work financed
and carried ont was both more direct and more
| effective than ours. If there were not enough
people at home 10 do the work, an occasional
nation was e~nslaved and brought in 10 carry
ON the good work for progress. The labor was
paid for in blood. The work was well done.
II was quite permanent.
We have far outstripped the Romans in road
mileage. The 20 roads out Of Rome went great
distances. for those days, but not far as meas
urcd by the speeding motor car.
When the federal government finishes up
the roads il Is helping TO build this nation will
have a network Of 1sG,000 miles Of surfaced
main highways, connecting the oceans and our
northern and southern boundaries. To travel
over That much road you would have 70 drive
| your ear 30 miles an hour. "a hours n day for
$50 days II would be too strenuous 10 accom-.
plish, even if you could afford 10 pay for the
gasoline At 2s cents per gallon.
How much OF the 10000 miles of surfaced
highway will be in condition ten years from
completion, without e-eonstrnctionf II the
state-bailt roads Of New Mexico, Arizona, Cali
fornia, Colorado, are fair samples,-not much,
We have the itch for highway building In ia
most urgent form. II is a good kind Of urge
Significant Of progress. Likewise II takes a
whale Of q lot Of money. from taxes, 10 pay for
the same. We would not regret either IL the in
vesiment had the element Of permanency that II
would seem only fair 10 expect.
II il a far cry from the stone wheeled char
lot 10 tho 11-cylinder motor ear with shock ab,
sorbers and everything. We have progressed
beyond a doubt. But sometimes IL does seen
that ia 5000 years of conNtant effort and cx
pertinent We might have made greater advances
in economy and durability in our road con