Evening star., 1928-10-21
HOLDS ROUGE BILL
NEEDED FOR ROADS
Automotive Head Declares
Highways More important
Than Cosmetics.

There must be something wrong with
Americas sense of proportion when
15,c00,000 a day, or $1,325, 100000
year, is spent for beauty treatments,
while less than fourth of this amount,
or about S40o 100000, is invested an
nually in good roads.
Citing a statement made by Mrs.
Ruth Maurer, beauty specialist at the
American Cosmeticians' Society conven-
ton in Chicago, to the effect that
synthetic beauty cost the State of 1lli-
nois more last year than the mainte-
nance and construction of hard roads,
G.. M. Williams automotive president,
suggested that it was time to revise
cur national perspective.
Which is more important" chal-
lenged Mr.. Williams, rouge and lip
sticks, permanent waves and artificial
country bloom, or system Of high
ways, an asset in time Of peace or
war, an outlet for the 100000 regis
tered motor vehicles?
"One thing is conSpicuously evident,
and that is that if we can afford to
spend S5,000,000 day for beauty, we
can afford to spend at least as much,
if not 10 times more, for motor roads,
which are great deal more inpor-
tant
mot that I would criticize for a
moment the women in the expendi-
lures of this vast sum to beautify
themselves. They are doing the right
thing in patronizing beauty parlors and
n making themselves as attractive as
possible
But if the Nation is so prosperous
that it. can afford all this money for
such non-essentials as cosmetics, why
can't we make a better showing in our
appropriations for good roads? 1t Is
as if householder were buying Chinese
rugs and tapestries while covering his
beds with straw mattresses and bathing
in tin bathtro.
"The sum OF S4o0, 100000 spent each
year for good roads seems like i'm
portant money, but it shrinks ignomin-
iously in comparison with sums spent
not for necessities, but for luXuries.
If we actually make up our minds to
ii, if we were in state of war and
reduced to the last line of defense, we
could very well do without beauty and
without dozen other vanitieS. If we
were forced to, we could economic on
movies, furs, musical instruments, not
to speak of cosmetics, and save enough
within a month to win dozen wars.
The motorists complain OF being
oVertaxed 1t is true that they have
contributed to the National Treasury
millions CT dollars in excise taxes and
that their license fees have built, the
Nations system Of hard roads.
But when you take into considera-
ton even Americas beauty bill, it be-
comes evident that the motorists are
not paying enough for transportation
If we are as prosperous as we appear tc
be. we could easily spend $2.000,0 100000
year for good roads and never notice
it. The 81 300 100000 spent annually
on beauty would build more than 5000
miles of pavement. ribbon of concrete
stretching from the Atlantic to the Pa.
Cific Coast and back again.
1T would pay us to economic nov
and spend as much as we could afforc
en- hard roads, for each mile of high
way is profitable investment Withou
adequate highways the motor car vii
become useless, and without the motor
car even the beauty shop, that depends
TO such large extent upon its country
trade, would go out of existence.
Not until we have provided ourselves
with system of hard roads in keeping
with our financial standing should w
invest our social surplus in mere van
ity."