Evening star., 1927-11-27
edkrMoorC Will People," Make
rItCn uton-I

Cameron of Arizona. pledgng his sup
port to the establishment of a Pan
American highway, Ito enable the
American people to see and meet my
people, that better and friendller
understanding may obtain between the
). two nations.
! Latin American diplomats stationed
in Washington have Fundamentally
: indorseG the plan of establishing such
a highway. Not only will it have
definite economic effect on the national
we'll heing of all countries concerned,
/ but it will bring about the better
understanding of the peoples. as
pointed oct by President Gales.
AS an indication Of the feeling re
carding highway development III
Brazil, S. Gurgel do Amaral. Brazilian
| Ambassador to the United States. re-
| Gently made the following statement:
Good roads have proved to be
necessity of our times. The develop
ment of railways in the nineteenth
| century relegated the highway to
second place, The growth OF the
automobile industry in recent times
| has created nations of travellers
| Highways connecting the countries
would bring all Americans of the
North. Central ard South together III
| closer harmony and friendship. For.
| as we see. and thus have clearer
! conception of. the problems of our
neiChborS, we give them deeper
sympathy and understanding.
Brazil is at present deeply inter.
eS:ed in the subject of highway con
struction. We have. within the past
| few wears made great progress along
these lines and there is most laud-
able enthusiasm in the country, from
/ N,xNsa Ic- II n hn
| modest citizen. for the development of
| highways as new field for the com
| forts Of life and the fostering of com
merce through the expansion of auto
mobilism."
CIMILAR sentiments have been ex-
- pressed by Enrique Olaya, Colon
bian Minister TO the United States,
who said:
THE sentiments recently expressed
| by President Coolidge for a mo-
tor highway extending from North
| America to the southern extremity of
South America will. no doubt be
fully shared by the governments of
Latin America and their nationals.
The Central and South American
! Republics Rave only i'll recent years
srr.arked upon modern highway con-
struction and it cannot be said that
more than a small beginning has yet
been made. However, the people and
governments of these countries are to-
day keenly alive to the great and far
reaching benefits to be derived from
the building Of modern highways
and may be counted upon to do every
thing in their power to continue and
expand the present programs of the
T of
modern highway activities. We have
already seen the broad benefits con-
ferred by good roads in Venezuela, the
Dominican Republic. Panama and
Porto Rico.
although the Republic of Colombia
is and has been for several years. en-
gagged in carrying out an extensive
and urgently needed railroad program,
highway work has not by any means.
been overlooked or neglected. Several
great modern highway projects EN-
bracing tremendous difficulties of con-
struction are being actively prosecut-
ed. Among these are the Carretera al
Mar, Highway to the Sea, extending
from the city of Medellin, capital OF
the Department of Antioquia. to the
Gulf of Uraba: the Cambao road. eX-
tending from Bogota to the Magdalena
River; the Highway to the Sea on the
Pacific side of the republic, which has
as its objective the port of Buenaven-
tura. There are today more than
Il, 900 men engaged in highway con.
struction work and in number of
our highway projects the Colombian
engineers are collaborating with their
American colleagues.
THE realization of modern motor
roads joining the several Latln-Amer-
ican Republics with the United States
depends largely upon financial factors
rather than will and sentiment of gov
ernments and their nationals for hlgh.
ways. The great system OF mag
nificent roads built in the United
States has been achieved by the vari-
Gus States with, in certain cases. Fed.
eral aid The gasoline tax and special
taxes have played important parts in
providing the great sums required for
this work. 1t is by the establishing Of
similar bases in Latin-America for pro-
ducing the required funds that the
great highway mileage yet to be bullt
in these countries should and prob
ably must be realized
Modern highways are a most i'm
portant factor in the fomenting of
friendly relations and better under
standing between nations. The motor
road furnishes cheap and facile trans
portaion, permitting the people of one
country to better know their neigh
bors.
THE Americas of the eighties were
keenly interested in the Pan-American
Railroad which was to join by bands
of steel the Central and South Amer.
lean countries. 1t now appears as
more probable that the modern motor
road will accomplish this highly de-
sirable measure before the railroad"
THE Pan-American highway is re
= garded as an avenue of good will
by DIR. Don Ricardo J. Alfaro. min.
lister from Panama to the United
States. who feels that the opening of
such a highway will mark the advent
of an era of harmony and solidarity
among the peoples of the Western
Hemisphere.
The day when the Pan-American
highway is built extending to the
southermost point of South America"
asserts the minister will surely mark
the advent of an era of complete har.
mony and solidarity among the peO.
pies of the Americas. The Pan
American highway will be an Avenue
of Good viii by means of which
/ constant and permanent stream Of per.
sonal, intellectual and commercial in
tercourse will cause our peoples bet.
ter to know each other and will affirm
the thought that since nature made US
neighbors. we must be brothers.
Panama has begun TO perform her
share in the realization of such 4
dream. She has already built a con-
siderable portion of road program
| that will provide a good and scenic
route through the historic mountains
| and plains bounded by the two oceans.
| Panama has already contributed to the
greatest scheme of water communica.
/ ton known in the world. by allowing
! her territory to be cut in two for the
construction of the lsthmian Canal.
| 1t is the earnest hope and aspiration
! Of Panama that the land now divided