Evening star., 1922-09-25
TO BUDGET DIRECTOR
FOR MORE FUNDS FOR ROADS
M. O. Eldrige Shows Jump in Autos from
1882 in 1912 to About $4,000; Yet APP
preparations Have Hardly Changed.

Asserting that the number of au-
tomobiIes in the District Of Columbia
and consequently the amount of au-
per cent since 1912. while the amount
OF appropriations for street and road
construction and repairs in the Dis
trict Is actually less for the fiscal
year of 1922 than was expended In
1912, NJ. o. Eldridge, secretary Of the
District Of Columbia division. Ameri-
can Automobile Association. has writ
ten a letter to Brig. Gen. N. H.
Lord director of the budget, setting
forth facts and figures on road con-
struction as outlined by Mr.. EldridSe
for a committee which called recently
on the director of the budget.
In 1912 we had only 1872 auto
mobiles In the District" the letter
roads. land during that year we ex-
pended for highway and street con-
struction and repairs the total OF
$99S.592. Our appropriations for
these purposes during the fiscal year
Of 1922 were $969.s4O and for 1929
were $SlS,54O, while the number of
automobiles has increased to ap-
proximately $4,000 for 1922 and prom
ises to. reach the 100000 marx In
1923.
This indicates that we are spend
ing less now for street and road
were spending ten years ago In spite
of the fact that the number of auto.
mobiles and consequent amount OF
traffic has increased about $500 per
cent. If our appropriations had IN :
creased as our automobile tradic
derived from such traffic, we would
now be spending in the neighborhood
Of $47, 800, 900 for this purpose"
Road Fund Cut Opposed.
Mr.. Eldridge was spokesman for a
committee which called on Gen.
Lord to urge against any reduction
Of the estimates Of the Commissioners
for street and road purposes this
year, and at that time Gen. Lord re-
auested that Mr.. Eldridge, who is
a highway engineer and has made
a careful study of road conditions
in the District submit his facts and
figures in a letter to the director OF
the budget.
The letter follows:
"A few days ago. committee; OF
which I was q member. presented to
you some facts and figures showing
why we believe that more money is
needed for streets and roads in the
District Of Columbia than was pro-
vided for the current fiscal year. I
promised to send you q digest Of the
figures which I had compiled and
some of the outstanding reasons
why we thought you should allow
tho District Commissioners tho amount
which they are asking for streets and
roads for next year.
"At the close of 1921 we had in the
District of Columbia 525 miles of
streets and roads, of which $50 miles
were surfaced with asphalt. 80 miles
with asphalt block, 30 miles with
granite block. 13 miles OF cement con-
crete, I21 miles of water bound ma
cadam and 149 miles of gravel and
dirt roads.
In other words. we have about 26S
miles of macadam, gravel and dirt
roads, mostly dirt Many of our ma
cadam roads were built to accommo-
date the traffic of ten or twelve years
ago, when there were very few auto
well: nigh impossible during the win
ter months of the year.
Streets IN Deplsrable shape.
only q few years ago Washington
had the reputation. as you know, OF
having some of the finest asphalt
streets In the world. but owing to the
Increased traffic and to the lack of
adequate maintenance. some of our
main streets are today In very de-
plorable condition. To economize
further by cutting of appropriations
for the maintenance and repair of
these streets Is like saving at the
spigot and wasting at the bunghole.'
There is an urgent need at this
time for the. paving of our main
arterial roads leading from the paved
streets to where they join the roads
of Maryland and Virginia This is
notably true of Bladensbur1 road,