Evening star., 1925-07-19
AUTO PROVED NECESSITY
AND AN ECONOMIC ASSET
Increasing Number of Cars Brings
knowledge That Good Roads Are
Cheaper Than Poor Ones.

their use was regarded as a luxury
limited to the few. Enormous sums
have been invested in the purchase
and maintenance of the millions of
machines now owned here. For ten
years the average sum spent in the
acquisition of cars has been 50 900, ;
100000 annually and the amount ex-
pended for gasoline, tires, repairs
and garage items will now average
almost three times that amount.
Motor Economic Asset.
obviously such an expenditure on
a mere luxury would have had an
adverse effect upon the other eco
nomic factors in production" says the
report. But during the period OF
the motor cars advance in America,
savings bank deposits have nearly
doubled, assets Of building and loan
associations have tripled and life in
surance in force has increased two
and one-half times. This would seem
to prove that development of the au-
tomobile as basic element Of trans
portation has been a vital part of the
increased efficiency and productive ca
pacitY of all interests
Coming then to the question of high
way administration and finance, It Is
asserted that "the motor vehicle only
reaches its greatest efficiency as an
element in transportation when i'm
proved highways are provided for: its
use" Experience has demonstrated.
1T is stated. that road Improvement
moro than pays for itself in the form
of decreased transportation costs and
increment in general valuation so long
as the degree Of development Is not
in excess OF the traffic needs. A year S
survey OF the passenger car and motor
truck movement over a selected mile
age of the Connecticut main State
system, 1t is pointed out, showed tina t
the saving in motor vehicle gasoline
consumption alone when high-type
er type roads was sufficient to pay
in 20 years the entire cost of the con-
struction of these paved roads.
Good Roads Cheapest.
THE two controlling principles In
modern highway finance in the United
States can be briefly stated" says the
report. THE first is contained in the
epigram Of Thomas H. Macdonald
chief Of the United States Bureau of
Public Roads, that 1t is cheaper to
have good roads than to go without
them,' proper administrative direction
being Of course understood. The sec
ond Is that the costs of highway i'm.
provement should be equitably dis.
tributed." Mr.. Macdonald will be a
member Of the delegation from the
United States to the Buenos Aires
road congress. The recently appoint
ed chairman of the delegation, Her.
bert H. Rice of Detroit. one of the d.
rectors of the National Automobile
Chamber of Commerce. In discussing
the coming conference a few days ago
said:
I'VE feel that our mission is espe.
cially important on account of this
country's long and costly experience
In establishing an adequate system OF
highways. Those who have been con.
nected with the good roads movement
in the United States since it's incep
ton have learned many lessons which
should be of the greatest value to any
other nation in the earlier stages OF
highway development. II. by citing
our own experiences, we can help our
sister nations Of the South to avoid
needless waste Of time and millions OF
dollars OF money which we were
obliged to go through before highway
construction had become systematized
as 1t Is now In this country, we fee
that our return trip to South America
will be as productive Of good results
as the delegates from the Latin Amer
lean countries were kind enough tG
say resulted from their visit to the
United States last year,"