Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-08-16
u. s. ROAD BUILDING
SOON |NFU[L SWING
Operations Proposed in Fall
to Absorb Large Percentage
of Itinerant Labor.
BY j. e. RONI.E.

Special Dispatch To The star.
NEW YORK. August 16.-Producere
of bodybuilding machinery and mate
rial are rushing preparations for tn.
Fall road building season, which is APP
preaching rapidly. Just as soon as tn"
harvest is over it will be in full sWins
and will absorb Il large quantity of re-
leased itinerant labor. The operations
for 1927 will amount to about one
sixth of the public budget, according,
to a survey just completed. Payments
for roads are exceeded only by expen-
ditures for education and protection of
the public peace.
In 1906 local governments supplied
90 per cent Of the funds for roads. To-
day the State governments supply
about 81 per cent. the Federal Govern
ment 10 per cent and the local govern
ments SO per cent. The annual activ-
ity in the Fall for rehabilitation Of old
roads and building of new ones ls one
of the mainStays of several industries,
including cement and other building
materials.
Benefits Cement Industry.
The cement industry Of America has
increased tremendously in the last wv"
wears. The demand for a time was in
of housing facilities after the war, but,
while the building program showed no
signs of slackening, the extreme short
age of buildings is over, and the pres
emf euuipment in the cement industry
should he able to handle all demands
for q hal dozen years to come without
further increase in productive capao
ity.
In view Of these facts, the cement
industry is extremely worried over
the inroads which some of the foreign
ma nufacturers of Portland cement have
been making. This has been especially
noticeable in New England, where
large quantities of Belgian cement are
stored awaiting tests for use in a
number OF large public improvements.
Belgium as Competitor.
Belgium has increased her snip
ments of cement and other products
to the United States PSI per cent since
1913, while American exports to Bel
GUM have fallen off II per cent. In
fact, it is Belgium which now holds
the role of creditor. according to
American Consul General Messer-
smith, at Antwerp. He adds that if
all the interest due on war debts and
post war debts were added to the
sum of Belgium's purchases in Amer
lea there still would be a substantial
trade balance in favor OF Belgium.
The Belgian cement industry has
increased it's output between 30 and
20 per cent since the war. of which
about half Is exported. Workers IN
the industry receive the same wage
as before the war. although the pay
Of workers in the American cement
industry amounts to about five times
as much as the Belgian scale.
Total L. s. 1926 Production.
The American industry made 1874.
000. 900 barrels Of cement i'm 1926 and
shipped only 16l o00. 900 barrels. This
was about IS 600 600 barrels under
actual capacity. From this ii can be
seen readily how much the Fall road
building campaign means 10 this
industry.
The building OF highways has
changed the trend of many other in
dustries. 1t has been responsible, in
part. for the development of the auto
mobile trade. 1t has altered the mar
keting of live stock and farm products
and the delivery of steel and other
manufactured goods. The coming
Winter is expected to see more high
way traffic than ever before, and States
and communities are making prepare
tions to keep the main roads open,
feeling they cannot have them closed
by snow or other causes without suf-
fering serious financial loss.