Evening star., 1935-01-20

A prosperous year for the au
at the same time deserved, for b,
factured and at moderate costs.
During this week Washington will
be the scene of activities for some
seven or eight thousand highway engi-
neers and officials from every State in
the United States and many counties
and cities. There will also be large
numbers of highway contractors, high
way equipment manufacturers and
material producers-all coming to at
tend the annual convention and high
way exhibit of the American Road
Builders Association and all coming
for the purpose of discussing many
problems in the highway industry and
profession, and to plan for the high
way program for 1885.
The programs will be held to show
the economic value of highways in
the transportation system of the
United States, and setting forth the
true facts relating to the actual needs
for highway construction and mainte-
nance-showing that at no time was
the country more in need Of large
highway program and showing that
there is an economic need for a high<
way program in every State in the
United States; and while the true
economic position of highways Is
established in normal progressive
country the facts presented will show
that now. in period of depression,
highways are more needed than ever;
that they are needed not only for the
usual benefits that are derived from
low cost and adequate transportation,
but they are needed now more than
ever before in order to put men to
work and to relieve the unemployment
problem.
The highway industry and pro-
fession has settled upon three major
points for discussion at the coming
convention. Number one, is the justi-
flcation for the continuance of an ade-
quate and economic highway program.
Point number two is based upon the
principle that highway revenues, in
cluding the gasoline tax and motor
license fees, should be utilized for the
construction and maintenance of high
ways and should not be diverted to
purposes unrelated to highways. Point
number three Is the justification for
the United States Government to con-
tinue appropriations for the compile
ton of the highway system through
out the country.
Erroneous Conclusion.
Many people have enormously
drawn the conclusion that there is
no more need for highway construc-
tion-that the various States have
already built up large enough high
way system to adequately care for
the needs of transportation. Such a
conclusion is absolutely unfounded
and a person has only to learn of
the real facts to know that the entire
country is in need of highway con-
struction and maintenance at the
present time.
In the States where the highway
system has advanced to the greatest
degree we find the need of moderniz-
ing or widening out highways; in
other States we find an absolute need
of constructing highways on the main
lines of travel and in practically every
State there is great demand for the
secondary roads-or farm to market
roads which up to this time have
been improved only to a very small
degree.
On our main State highway sys-
TENS, which comprise about 100000
miles of road, there is yet $4,000 miles
of road that have not been improved
in any way, shape or manner. This
presents an immediate and necessary
problem in many States.
Out Of the total Of 100000 miles
of road in the entire United States
only about 100000 miles have been
improved in any way. This leaves
over 100000 miles of road that have
not been improved in any manner
whatsoever and at the present time
over 2,500,000 farms are located on
these unimproved highways. This
shows that Immediately there is a
real demand for improvement of these
secondary, or farm to market roads.
Great Congestion Seen.
In many States there Is great
congestion of traffic adjacent to the
larger municipalities, and this is every
evidence for the need Of construction
of arterial roads into and through
cities, as well as bypass and belt
line roads that should be constructed
for the purpose of carrying traffic
around cities.
There is no State highway system
in the entire United States that is
not in need Of being modernized or
its roads being widened for the pur-
pose of adequately carrying forward
present-day traffic. All of these i'm
mediate requirements comprise a
large and immediate demand for the
highway builder-and this country
can, for the next 10 years, justify a
larger highway program than has yet
ever been constructed in any one year.
ALI of these facts justify the con-
tinuance Of a highway program in
normal and prosperous times-the
present only accentuateS the fact that
highways are needed now more than
ever before not only for benefits de-
rived from constructed highways but
for benefits from the construction
and maintenance of highways them
selves in the relief of the unemploy-
ment problem.
The United States Bureau of Public
Roads says that nearly four million
people depend quite directly on high
way work for their livelihood. Large
quantities Of materials are used in
construction - 100000 tons of
crushed stone, or nearly half of that
produced by commercial quarries is
used In road construction: 41,000,000
tons Of commercial sand production
was sold for building highways. Road
construction consumed 100000 tons
of gravel, or nearly half Of the COM
mercial production. OF the 127, 900, 900
barrels Of cement shipped, 10000, 900
barrels were shipped to road building
operations. Asphalts and asphaltic oils
used in highway work amounted to
so per cent Of the total production of
100000 tons. About is per cent OF
the tonnage moved by railway con-
= - al o,,d