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Show BtaLimisrG FRIENDS ARE MADE BY USE OF ROADS There are now In the United States 455,000 miles of surfaced highways. Every ten years the total, Including country roads, will be around 800,000 miles, which will constitute a marvelous mar-velous basic system excelling that of any nation In the world. We are making rapid progress not only In road building, but also in our understanding of highway financing, taxation and use. It is worth while to realize the fundamental significance of all this uctlvity which in the final analysis is simply an Investment In neighborllness. On the political and social side, neighborliness means mutual understanding under-standing and the ability to live together to-gether in harmony. It means that the West knows the South and appreciates its problems, and vice versa, writes Roy D. Cliapin, chairman of the highway high-way committee of the National Automobile Auto-mobile Chamber of Commerce. On the commercial side, neighborllness neighborll-ness means ready facilities for distribution, dis-tribution, ease of travel. In short, that the distant point can be reached as well as the nearby point. We are In a highly fortunate position posi-tion In that this country has a grid- ! iron of rail lines. This gridiron should be maintained, operated, en- I cournged on a sound basis. Given this long-haul transportation equipment, i the highway system becomes doubly serviceable because it means that every community of 5,000 population is linked not only with a motor-travel system, but is likewise within rapid transit reach of the long-distance railroad rail-road service. It is recognized that the motor-car user gets a more Immediate and more definite return from improved highways high-ways than any other class of the community. com-munity. The burden of federal expenditure for highways has not, however, fallen on the general taxpayer at all as yet. The reason for the federal govern- j ment entering into highway construction, construc-tion, moreover, Is given In President Cooiidge's message to congress of December De-cember 6, 1923, in which he said: "No expenditure of public money contributes so much to the national wealth as for building good roads." In view of the enormous extent of tills country, totaling 3,000,000 square miles, there is no other public work which is more deserving of our attention. |