Evening star., 1934-02-04
Building and Safe Use
Of National Highways
BY HARDEN COLFAX.

The way in which the building and
safe use Of our highways are being
made to fit in with the national re-
covery program was demonstrated
during the proceedings of two gath
erings this week Of countrywide scope.
At Chicago the American Road
Builders Association held IT'S thirty
first annual convention. At this
meeting Federal, State, city and
county engineers and other ofncials,
equipment manufacturers, material
producers, highway contractors and
others identified with sound highway
development and progress exchanged
| opinions and viewed an exhibit of
newly developed highway equipment.
Highways. 1t was pointed out, are
permanent public works, but not as
"statically permanent" as bridges and
post ofices. They must be continu-
silly worked on, and that means en-
ployment. Among the topics discussed
were: U) The need for continuation
Of An adequate highway program on q
national scale. (O the need for Fed
eral participation IN such . program,
(S) the use Of highway revenues for
the extension and improvement Of the
Nations highway network and 90 the
necessity for bringing back to any
highway program the gasoline and
motor vehicle license revenues which,
during the period Of economic stress,
have 50 generally been diverted to
other purposes.
While this convention was holding
its sessions in Chicago. the Federal
Government here was giving its atten-
ton to the safety Of the general pub
lie in its use Of highways. At the De-
partment Of Commerce, Under Secre-
tary Roper, who Is it, chairman, the
Executive Committee Of the National
Conference on Street and Highway
Safety took up consideration Of .
specific program leading up to q ma
tional conference In the Spring, to
which safety and trafac authorities
from all parts Of the country Will be
invited.
The main task Of the committee, &C.
cording to Secretary Roper, Is Ito con-
slider our national experience with
motor vehicle regulation during the
past four years, to propose any
changes that may be considered de-
sirable in the standards for State and
municipal vehicle legislation put for
ward by the last general meeting Of
the conference in 1880 and to empha-
size the desirabiltty Of constant work
on the highways to keep them in
order"
These standards include q uniform
vehicle code for State enactment,
which has served ~ the basis for leg
islation in "a States, and Q model mu-
nicipal trafic ordinance, which has
already been used by several hundred
cities and towns.
The steps recommended include the
proper recording and analysis of &C.
cident statistics; adoption Of uniform,
up-to-date and reasonable trafdc laws
and ordinances: provision for An ef-
fective ofncial orgaui1ation for their
administration: taking advantage Of
the improvements Of recent years In
highway design and tradac engineer
ing; setting up An effective system Of
education Of drivers and the general
public In tra6c safety: adoption Of
adequate enforcement methods to
control the negligent or wilfully dan
gerous elements Of the population, and,
finally. . program Of research for the
further development Of improved
methods for road construction and use.
There has been abundant expert
ence with motor vehicle regulation
and the broad general principles for
dealing with it, problems are well de-
fined. The chief task now, Secretary
Roper feels, II to put the accepted
methods into eject. II is hoped that.
hu a concerfed effort thArA NAV be