Evening star., 1936-12-20


A vivid picture, in words, Of the far
reaching economic, industrial and So
cial Importance of highways in the
United States was painted today by
Willard T. Chevalier, President OF the
American Road Builders Association.
in discussing present-day highway
problems.
When I contemplate this highway
problem that confronts us today, l
don't see just lot of highway officials
and engineers on the public pay roll.
I don't see Just the thousands of high
way contractors the country over, who,
as business men. find employment for
their men and their capital i'll carry
ing on this work. Neither do l see
only the manufacturers and employees
who produce the materials and equip
ment that 90 into the highways.
II see men and their families living
in Texas and Oklahoma and CalifOr-
mia producing oil from the ground.
see them spread over the land, build
ing and operating the pipe lines and
manning the trains that carry 1t TO
the retineries. l see the service men
in hundreds OF thousands OF f1lling
stations in thousands OF towns
throughout the country. I see insur-
ance men in Office buildings in every
large city in this country who make
their livings writing automobile IN
Surance.
Il see the mechanics streaming into
the factory buildings OF Detroit, South
Bend and Flint and into the mills of
Pittsburgh and Youngstown. l see
contractors hiring building mechanics
to build garages and l see the men
employed in operating those garages.
Il see hotel statfs serving the tour
lists who throng the highways and the
statesmen who use them TO cover their
territories at lower cost. And I see
many more, including the thousands
of haraSsed people to whom, during
the last few years, the opportunity to
set up little waySide stands somewhere
along the highways and thereby exc
out a living was GodSend. people
who otherwise might have gone TO the
relief roles.
That is the picture that comes to
my mind when think OF our high
way investment"
TWenty-four thousand lives would
have been saved and nearly million
injuries prevented between 1926 and
1885 had the national trend in motor
vehicle accidents kept pace with the
reductions in States having standard
drivers license laws, the National
Safety Council states.
This conclusion is reached in q
newly published study of drivers
license legislation, entitled Saving
Lives Through Drivers License Law,
prepared by the council for free dis
tribution to officials, legislators and
other interested parties.
The council has advocated for years
the adoption of standard drivers
license laws for all States; that is, laws
with teeth" in the form OF examina-
ton requirements. suspension and rev.
ocation clauses, etc. The pamphlet EN-
phaSiZeS that where such laws are
passed, after few years of "try-out"
administration, motor vehicle death
rates invariably drop. Significant, too,
the bulletin points out, is the fact
that in total Of Fl States now hav-
ing approximately standard license
laws, there has never been q repeal
or q weakening Of such legislation.
The analysis concludes that such
laws reduce accidents. cut down
property losses that 90 with motor
accidents and increase the pleasure
and comfort OF driving which right
fully belongs TO the motorlst under
adequate and properly enforced laws"
Drivers license legislation Will be
an issue before most legislatures dur
ing coming months. the council says,
and will take the form Of passing new
laws or Strengthening present weak
legislation.
Production of passenger cars and
trucks in the United States and
Canada for the week ending Decem-
Der IL will reach a total of approxi-
mately 1880 units. says Automotive
Daily News in its midweek digest of
the industry. This figure will COM
pare with 1889 during the week
ended December and indicates that
the industry is running very close to
.it Come nla a
Grating occasionally OH q six-day
basis.
Reports from 20 States on Novem-
ber neW-car registrations indicate q
total for the month Of between 2l0, 900
and 215,000 units. says A. D, N. This
figure is down from the 22O,O62 regis
tered in November year ago. brought
about by the slowness of Ford in get
ting into production this year, accord
ing to A. d. MS view. The Ford 1897
models were not announced until No.
yember IA. the paper points out, and
production on a siZable scale was not
reached until late in the month. Thus
the Ford registrations during the
month were down some 1000 units
from the showing in the same States
last year. and II Ford had matched
his last year showing the industry
would have registered an increase
over last November instead of q loss.
That sales were good during the
month and are holding up well during
December is indicated by the heavy
production schedules which all plants
have set up for themselves for Decem-
ber. Peak operation seems to be the
order of the day to meet accumulated
orders which could not be filled in
the previous month. December output
Is likely to run close to if not above
500, 900 units.
Anti.pollution Dams,