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Show HOAD BOBSTEBS IISBEPLI U. S. Commerce Chamber Adopts National Policy at Annual Convention. Proposed System Would Aggregate 150,000 Miles of Macadam. "The adoption of a rational highways high-ways policy by the Vuitcd states chamber cham-ber of commerce at its annua convention, conven-tion, coupled with recent announcements announce-ments by Senator Penrose, the next chairman of the senate finance committee, com-mittee, . and Senator 13.uikhc.nl, retir-inj; retir-inj; chairman of tho senate committee on postoffices and poit roads, that they stand for national highways tremen-dousl3r tremen-dousl3r strengthen the probability of passage of the Tovnssend bill at the extra session of congress." says David Jameson, president of the American Automobile Au-tomobile association. "That a national highway system can be kept within 3 per cent of the total mileage of highways in tho United Unit-ed States and still serve onr fundamental funda-mental needs," continues Mr. Jameson, "has been definitely established by careful research. To mako this point clear it may safely be stated that a zone of ten miles in width and seventy-five seventy-five thousand miles in length will reach more than 85 per cent of the population of tho United Slates, more than S3 per cent of the taxable real estate and more than 55 per cent of the tonnage of farm products. Trunk Line Routes. "Such a system would protect with a military highway having an aggregate aggre-gate length of about 10,8liu miles our Atlantic, gulf, Mexican, Pacific and Canadian borders; would give access to our national forests, our national parks and open up much of the public domain not now easily accessible, and would afford trunk line routes for parcel post in the territories where this fonu of transportation is most intensive in character. char-acter. "If as a condition to tho building of the national highways in eacli slate a construction of an equivalent mileage of state highways should be required this would add 'seventy-five thousand miles of state highways, which, with the national system, would aggregate 150,000 miles of maiu trunk lines. With this double system practically all of the 1400 cities and towns of five thousand thou-sand population and over would be on the main system, as well as every Atlantic, Pacific. Gulf and lake port. It would be possible to achieve at the same time a superb uiilitary system 1 connecting every important fort and concentration point, arsenal and munitions muni-tions center throughout tho United States, while meeting industrial needs so completely that less than 5 per cent of tho population and the taxable values val-ues aud less than. 15 per cent of tho tonnage of farm products would be more than five miles away from this joint national and state system. "It needs no pro'fouud statistical manipulations ma-nipulations to demonstrate these points, for it can easily be understood that 150,000 miles of highway with a zone extending five miles on each side would serve 1,500,000 square ju-ilcs of area or approximately half of 11)8 total area of the United Slates. The task of building build-ing the national system is well .within the means of the nation and it in tho duty of all good Americans to rally to the support of Senator Townsend'u bill." |