Evening star., 1925-08-26
Pan-American Highways
Seen as y. S.. Roads Gain

Increase of national highway sys-
TENS in this country is predicted. and
hopes for pan-American routes are eX.
pressed, as result of recent develop
ments. Action by the Interstate
Highway Board, at its Washington
meeting, in designating national
system of roads by markers, covering
the country and touching every State
capital. emphasizes the growth that
has been achieved in less than a dec
ade.
Action of the Joint Board of Inter
state Highways" says the st. Joseph
NewS-Press, lin designating $4,000
miles of Federal roads, gridironing
the United States from border to bor-
der may be regarded as a forerunner
of new Federal policy in road build
ing. 1t is especially significant in
view of the expression of President
Coolidge in his message to Congress
last December that Federal subsidies
can be curtailed with benefit both to
the Federal and State governments.
There is little doubt that the question
will be considered by the Congress in
the coming session. America is a ma.
tion on wheels: no people is more mo-
bile. 1t is time that a general road
planning be made a regular part of
our provision for national highways
X X
Evidence Of the tremendous strides
that have been made in much less
than a decade in the development of
a we'll articulated road plan from
coast to coast and from the Lakes to
the Gulf" Is seen by the Indianapolis
Star in the designation and marking
|'of the system. THE change has revo.
lutionized travel methods and habits;
millions of persons spend their annual
vacations on automobile tours" adds
the Star. Universal use of the au-
tomobile and motor truck" accord
ing to the Atlantic City Press, has
taken the lesson of good roads into
every section of the country. Where
the railroad goes. the permanent high
way is necessary as an auxiliary.
Where there are no railroads the
hard-surface road must serve the pur-
pose"
with the completion of each ma
tional highway" declares the Kansas
City Post. ''the Unitel States is more
closely knit together. Each State is
nearer every other State in communi-
cation and in fact The interchange,
commercial and social. makes for a
Nation of greater solidity, and the
highways as a medium thus lend eff.
forts for national success and per-
manency. Sectional differences and
crossed purposes do not arise in na.
tions where each locality understands
and fraternizes with every other To-
cality." Under the plan, also, accord
ing to the. Faribault Daily News,
much will be done to untangle the
| maze of the multiplicity of named
trails which have so far served more
to confuse than to guide the motorist
along his way"
X X x
A dream of a future condition
rather than as of something about to
come to pass soon" is the comment of
the Pittsburgh Gazette-Times on the
proposed system of more than 10
roads forming a network over the en-.
tire United States, but the Gazette,
Times finds that it does suggest sys.
tenn in road building and, carried out,
| would make every section of the land
readily accessible" The spirit in
volved appeals further to the Colum-
bia Record, which believes these "sys-
tematic markings will unite the Ma.
tion into one loyal band of accord -
and continues: I'VE have blotted out
State lines in road building and we
should carry out the idea all the way
through the program, because the
| highway system is a national one, in
that Congress has certain rights over
| post roads
traffic operating over highways" the
logical consequence of the develop.