Evening star., 1934-07-22
Mexican Work Begun.

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increasing the totals Of the various
higher types.
Mexican Work Begun.
During the. year reported on,
comprehensive construction program
in Mexico was under way, and is still
being carried on in the effort to COM
plete the Laredo Mexico City section
Of the inter- American highway OF
over 700 miles which that govern
ment hopes to have opened to traffic
by October 1884, and to have COM
pleted early in 1895. Exact figures
by construction types in Mexico are
not available. In addition to the
national program many miles Of i'm
proved roads are being added in the
various states under a federal aid
plan similar to that of the United
States. Argentina in 1882 adopted
national highway law, which has
resulted in the adoption of a COM
prehensive construction two-year
program, involving an expenditure
of more than 200,000,0O0 paper pesos
(the paper peso in April. 1894. was
quoted at $0.25 United States.
Heretofore, in Argentina, with an
automotive registration of about
307 1000 vehicles with few good roads
outside of the larger cities, trans
portation by automobile was largely
restricted in use, during wet weather,
to the congested areas of the main
centers of population 1t will be most
interesting to note the effect on the
imports of automobiles following the
present highway construction pro-
gram.
Colombia is another Latin Ameri-
can country with a progressive plan
of highway improvement. The fed
eral government budget for national
roads was for a total of S4,650,000
for the years 1882, 1888 and 1884.
This program of expenditures has
been followed closely. The various
departments also have commensurate
programs. Additional sums have, also,
been expended by the national gov
ernment on roads Of access to areas
involved in international difficulties.
Chile has fixed the fund to be ex-
pended in 1884 for the construction
and maintenance of roads and
bridges at 80 900 900 pesos (about
S3,200.000 United States.) These
funds are provided by the road and
bridge law, the principal income be-
ing from the gasoline tax on i'm
ports.
Brazil is organizing a national
highway department patterned after
the Bureau of Public Roads in the
United States under the Federal aid
acts. Some construction has been
carried on during the last two years,
mostly in the northeastern part Of
the country. as measure of unem.
ployment relief in the drought
stricken areas.
Highway improvements and new
construction in the remaining Central
and South American countries have
been practically at a standstill during
the last three years Highway income
in most of these countries has been
so reduced that it barely suffices for
the maintenance of existing routes.
Total European Roads
The fact that Europe reports total
highway mileage of 1864, est, an in
crease over the previous year of only
24,o41 miles, should not be construed
TO mean that European countries are
not making progress with their high
way improvement plans, but rather to
the fact that many Of the European
highway systems have been established
for hundreds of years, and in COM
parison with younger and less highly
developed countries in other parts of
the world. highway work and improve
ment is more in the nature of recon-
Struction and improvement of routes
already IN existence. which does not
reflect in actual increases in the total
highway mileage which would be the
case where the construction was en-
tirely new
Among the countries where larger
improvements have been made that
fall within this class are United
Kingdom, France. Germany. Italy.
Austria, Belgium. Czechoslovakia. Dem
mark, the Netherlands Norway. Swe-
den. Switzerland and the Irish Free
State.
However, the countries named above
are the ones in Europe having the best
developed systems of highways and
the ones where the most funds have
been expended without much apparent
increase in mileage Some of the
countries reporting increased nlileages
over the previous year are France,
95S miles, Portugal. 564 miles Danzig,
123 miles. Denmark. So miles; Iceland,
10 miles. Irish Free State. I42 miles:
Latvia, 952 miles; Germany. 3 miles:
Austria, so miles Belgium. AZ miles:
Bulgaria, 2S3 miles; Czechoslovakia,
2S miles, and Norway. 557 miles. Sew
eral show no change and a few show
decreases. owing. it is thought. to I'M
proved statistical methods and less use
Of estimates.
There are still several countries in
Europe from which accurate reports
showing mileages by types of construc-
ton have not been received. because
OF lack of statistics and methods of
financing construction. The mere i'm
portant countries of Europe from
which complete statistics are not OBJ
tainable are: United Kingdom Italy.
Spain. Poland, Czechoslovakia ard
Relpiry+,