The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-10-29
PEOPLES FORUM
Be1ieve. In Brtck Paving

To the Editor of The Age-Herald:
 MT. Harper's cartoons are al- ways pungent and Illuminating, but the one entitled Follow the Guideposts" in today's issue Is es- pecially so, and 1t Is a great pity that the powers that be- do not often heed the sage advice given. Public funds are q public trust" is a true if trite saying, and 1t would seem the part of wisdom and fidelity to so expend them as to secure the highest measure of service and usefulness to the pub lie which foots the bills. It is ltt- tie short of criminal waste to use the proceeds of bonds that are payable twenty years after date in building roads and highways that will be worn out long before the maturity of the bonds, or else re- quire expenditure of large sums for maintenance and resurfacing.
 My experience and observation has been that in nearly every in- stance the award of contracts by both county and state authorities has been governed by the price bid as the sole criterion, looking only at the first cost of the paving. This is In a large measure due to the lack of education of public sentiment to the fact that the wearing qualities of the surface and its length of life before ex- tensiye repairs become necessary, and how 1t is affected by the ac- ton of the elements. and resis- tance to wear and tear of heavy truck traffic. These requirements, and the fact that as soon as a road Is paved 1t attracts much heavier traffic than before, should be the controlling factors in selection of the paving material.
 A singular situation prevails In the specifications, which require relatively more perfect type of foundation for brick roads than others. Experience throughout the country (corroborated by tests made by the Uni,ed States depart ment of good roa2s) demonstrates that the brick road has a longer life without constant repairs than any other type. The requirements in the specifications, of course, make the first cost of a brick road higher than others, so that, all though GO per cent of the paving brick produced In the South are manufactured in Jefferson County, Alabama, not one dollar of the millions of Jefferson County and State of Alabama bond issues has been spent for brick road. This important industry, which has brought many millions of dollars into this district in the past thirty years for pay rolls and supplies, has to find a market for brick roads and highways in our neigh boring states of Florida, Georgia and Mississippi.
 As an example for comparison, take South Twentieth street in Birmingham. It gas paved with brick part of the way over 25 years ago, and some ten years later the balance was paved with bituminous paving. A few hum dred dollars will cover~the cost of all the repairs to the brick pave ment. The bituminous pavement has been flush coated a number of times. and in recent years many thousands of dollars were expend- ed in resurfacing and patching the holes. The county a few years ago expended an immense sum of money in 8 temporary bituminous roadway to North Birmingham and East Lake that in less than year required heavy repairs, and has been a constant burden of ex- pense ever since. Is it not about time to let up on costly experi- ments. and build at least one brick road In view of it's splendid rec ord?
 While I was the pioneer manu- facturer of shale paving brick in the South, I have not been con- nected with the paving brick busi- ness for many years, and do not own one dollar of stock in same; ; so l have no selfish motive in writing, but seek only the best public good. I find the private citizens and industrial corpora tions are more loyal in patroniz- ing homemade building brick than our public officials are so far as paving brick are concerned, hence my change of business.
 JOHN w. SHELBY.
 Birmingham. Ala, Oct. 27.
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