The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1925-09-29
THE PASSING OF
"PAPER" HIGHWAYS
STATES COOPERATE WIT H
GOVERNMENT TO BUILD co.
900 INTERSTATE ROADS.

Paper highway associations nave
been dealt a death blow. Some Zo0 OF
them are now gasping Their last IN a
futile effort to justify their continued
existence, while the state highway de-
partments and the federal government
cooperating as a joint board, are I'M
tangling the iumbled network OF roads
left bv their incoherent, disJomted
operations.
Within a few weeks officials OF the
United States bureau OF public roads,
who have been working on this tire
mendous task since February with
state highway officials, expect to an
nounce a complete system OF roads
approximately 10000 miles in all
trayersing every state in the union,
each road designated by numbers and
properly marked by a system OF uni
form signs. In addition, all roads,
whether in Maine or in California,
will carry standardized directional and
International markers to the end that
transcontinental motor travel viii be
greatly simplihed.
Collected Millions.
In the last fifteen years so-called
highway associations were organized
in all parts of the country They pro-
iected a quarter Of million miles OF
road gridironing the continent from
coast to coast, touching important
points more gullible than important.
They collected millions OF dollars from
property owners, rural realty promo
tiers, chambers OF commerce and other
booster organizations, a negligible
fraction Of which, according to federal
road officials, was expended tor the
constructor of good roads.
They continued, however, to collect
money and maintain their organiza-
lions and paid promoters. They set up
markers and signs along their desig-
mated routes, despite the fact that these
highways overlapped, to the confusion
OF the innocent touring motorlst, as
many as eight and ten times in a SIN
gle ten-mile stretch. In one state a
mile of road is marked by seven differ
ent designations-seve highway as
sociations claiming this mile as part
OF their system.
Two years ago the state highway
departments at their annual conven-
ton initiated the movement calling
upon the secretary of agriculture to
appoint a JOINT board, consisting of
state and federal officials, to unravel
the highway mess States themselves
began taking action prohibiting pri-
vate trails organizations from further
setting up road sign and markers.
They began making it increasingly
more difficult for the paid officers OF
the paper" highway associations.
The formation OF the joint board on
interstate highways was the outgrowth
OF this agitation against the so-called
highway associations, and shortly, Tor
the first time in the history OF the
good roads movement in this country,
the United States will have carefully
planned system of arterial interstate
highways, uniformly designated and
marked by standardized directional,
stationary and international signs.
United States" Highways.
These roads selected by the joint
board touch every state capital and
every important center in the country.
They will be known as United States"
highways, and each road will bear a
number
At a recent meeting of the board
the standard United States shield was
adopted as the form of the route mark
er. This shield will have a white back
ground, with the name Of the state,
the initials u. S." and the route num-
Der in black
Other standard signs have been