Evening star., 1923-11-08
MILLIONS PUT OUT
ON BETTER ROADS,
Improved Highways Pay 0w n
Costs in IS Years, U. S.
Experts Discover.
BY J. c. ROYLE.
pecial Disps.ch TO The Star

NEW YORK, November g. The
highways of the United States re
paying investment. Millions OF idol-
lars are being expended this ia ! on
road work and highway improve. hent.
This work not only is affordine en-
pIoyment at good wages to thou sands
of men in different sections but will
more than pay for itself with IN the
next fifteen years. Good roa' Is are
in exactly the same position fs i'm
proved labor saving machinery ac-
cording to Henry c. Wallace, isecre-
tary of agriculture.
Investigation by the Department Of
Agriculture shows that the difference
in cost of moving traffic over Eood
road will pay for the cost OF. the
concrete road from the ga Nina; in
gasoline motor vehicle al one.
For example. the coast roAd from
New York to New Haven. H.. distance
of seventy-five miles. is Falued at
$4,000 "a mile, yet actual tests nave
proved that the saving in | gasoilne,
by using this road. would pay both
principal and interest on tItat Falua-
tion in fourteen years.
14,OOO,OOO Motor VehGles.
BY the end of this year there will
be approximately 100000 motor We
hicles in use in this country. This
will mean tremendously augmented
use of the highways. This increase,
1t is estimated. already has amounted
to 1000 per cent in the last ten or
twelve years. Forty-seven states
now have settled upon their definite
plans for road building. ahey aIe pc
ing checked carefully by the De-
partment of Agriculture I with tha u
innate object OF connecting the nj n
ways in the various states so that in
. tt,,,a h -
systematic developmert throughout
the country.
Enormous Sums Expended.
The government has authorization
under the act of 1921 to spend ap-
proximately s14S.000,0D more In aid
ing road building. T bis means that
double that sum probably will be ex-
pended. as the govern ment is allowed
To afford aid to the G&tent of so per
cent of the total cost. The average
cost of federal aid roads has been
from $1,000 to sS,Oub for an earth
road with bridges ,G less than 20
feet span, culverts tand drainage
system. to $4,000 fof a gravel road.
S3SO0U for concrete and $45 600 for
brick.
In Discussing whether roads pay
and Commenting on the opposition ex-
pIey;ed by some persons to bond is
suYs on the grounl that the road Is
Zor, Secretary Walt lace said:
Where Real Cost Lies.
"It is important to remember that
the surface of road is rather small
part of it's cost. The real cost and
the permanent feat lures are. the grade
and the drainage structures. 1t is
to be expected that the surface will
wear out more and more rapidly as
our traffic increases. But the We
hicleS which are wearing out the
gx..l~ hn
twice the cost of the roads, and 1t is
reasonable to say the general public
is not being uhduly taxed to support
them The vehicles can well afford to
pay, for the lassened cost of vehicle
maintenance and fuel far more than
equals the cost of the roads.
Taxes ONSET Expenditures.
Authorizations for federal appro-
priationS to date amount to about
$500 600, 900, or a little less than 81
per capita and about $34 per motor
vehicle. If you analyze the sources
of money which comes into the fed
eral Treasury you will find that the
excise tax on automobiles. motor We
hicIes, tires and accessories amount
to about twice as much as the
authorized expenditures by the fed
eral government for road aid"
Extensive traffic surveys are being
conducted in various parts of the ma
tion to determine what kind of road
surface is DeSl dudpleu lOT the HetuS
of each section so as to avoid expen-
diture of money on roads which do
not pay back more than is spent. In
these surveys maintenance of vehicles
used, gasoline, tires and all other
costs of moving traffic are considered.
Improved Highway Spreading.
OF the 1,449 cities of 5000 popula-
tion or over 1885 are situated on the
improved system of highways as out
lined by the systematic plans of the
various states
At the present time. the states are
taking up sections here and there,
not all connected, but Secretary Wal
lace declares that in a year or two,
when these gaps are filled, It will be
possible to go by automobile from
any city of 5000 population to any
other over an improved highway.
The federal bureau of public roads
estimated today that $1,000, 100000
will be spent on roads exclusive of
city streets during this calendar year
and predicted that from $780, 900
TO $1,000. 100000 will be expended for
similar purposes in 1924. About SO
per cent of this sum will probably
come from bond issues
States automotive taxes, gasoline
taxes and registration of automobiles
during the first six months of this
year aggregated $152. 100000. Bond
issues of various sorts. the proceeds
of which were to be devoted to road
building, aggregated s700, GOO, 900, in
1920-21 and part of that sum still is
unexpended.'
Copyright, 1921