Salt Lake Tribune | 1919-03-09 | Page 29 | Good Road Boosters Showing Speed

10 BOOSTERS SHOWING SPEED The Need for Radial Road Chubs Is Now Emphasized. Em-phasized. There are 2932 counties In the United States. There' are not good roads associations as-sociations in all these counties, although in some states every county has one. There are now probably 100 major good roads associations, maybe 1000 more local lo-cal associations and some 500 automobile clubs, besides many chambers of commerce, com-merce, commercial and trade clubs, etc., all more or Jess active in demanding good roads. Of these road associations many are of the "trail" or "route" type that is, working for a "through" road of some kind. There are sixty-three such In the state of Iowa alone, and there are forty-eight forty-eight states. Those are demanding1 the improving of certain continuous through roads extending across the state and connecting . at each end with similar routes in the adjoining states. There are no pood roads associations formed to work for or to advocate radial roads. If the latter were desirable, it is likely that many organizations would exist ex-ist to fight for them as against main highways. But such is not the fact. Why not? Contrary to the cry raised by a few misguided opponents of main highway development, very few of the associations referred to have been formed at the instigation insti-gation of 'motorists or motor manufacturers. manufac-turers. On the other hand, they are largely made up of far-sighted business men, farmers and others who realize the fact that improved through roads will bring money and prosperity to their lo- i cality. They also know that by through roads alone can the branch roads come to any community and thus eventually produce "good roads everywhere." A glance at the map and the statistical table on its face tells what 100,000 miles of national or trunk-line highwavs wiTi do for our rural population. They will directly j serve 75 per cent of those residing in counties through which they pass. And, ' what is more, they will "bring about "good roads everywhere" as a result thorsof. The history, of road building in our states proves that only by national highways, high-ways, built and maintained by the national na-tional government, can we hope to at-this at-this boon. No one will benefit more from these good roads than those living on them. But the motor-driven veh Icle manufacturers manufac-turers and the road builders will also benefit as by and through no other means.