Show pan american road steps nearer to realization may way ultimately link alaska with argentina W ashington the longest road broj act in th the e world the pan american highway moved another step nearer to realization recently when congress appropriated to enable the un ted states to operate cooperate co with latin american nations in surveying and constructing this new link between the i americas Ameli cas the sum of 75 WO was also provided for a continuation ot of reconnaissance surveys in both cen aral and south america caravans were trading over the an chent sill routes between asia and the danube long before europe ever heard of america but despite abaz ing growth of transport in the western world to this day no wheel has ever rolled from north to south america not even from the rio grande to pan ama says a rational national geographic so clety bulletin let for years men have dreamed of a great inter american highway which might connect alaska with ar gentina links of such a royal road already exist even over many regions in latin america air passengers can look down donn on sections of such a high way used by mules trucks and motor cars how to connect these separate links how to bridge the gaps formed now by mountains and jungles jun les Is the problem to which many governments in the lN western estern hemisphere give in creasing thought mexico for one Is hard at work on her link so s virtly has she pushed construction that the mile stretch from laredo on the rio grande to mexico D r has already been often traversed and Is to be off dally opened as an all weather road within a few months to which function secretary of state hull has been invited raff c to mexico grows incidentally tourist traffic from the united states to mexico has grown enormously in the past two years in 1033 1933 about americans visited mexico traffic so far in 1034 1934 Is even heavier and hotels are croNN crowded ded for r or mal opening of motor roads will vast ly increase this with a total length of some 12 miles from alaska to argentina more tl an 4 in les over a third of the proposed inter american highway Is now usable by motor cars in all weather chiefly in the united states canada mexico and canama 1 anama some finished stretches are also in use in alaska costa plea el EI salvador guatemala colombia ecuador and brazil although mot of the roads which could be joined to form south america americas s part of any such great big high gh way are already passable in dry weather only insignificant stretches are usable in wet weather because of our own trade interests in mexico and central america as sources of needed raw materials and markets for our manufactures the united states is most immediately con corned with the opening of the motor road from our southern sout lern ern border to panama tl TI Is section Is in fact the key to early completion of the whole project at the request of the state depart ment the united slates states bureau of pub I 1 e roads aided by highway engineers of tue central american countries con berned has made a reconnaissance sur vey of the route from hereto here to panama of the 1500 miles of highway through central america about miles are open to all beati er traffic needed supplies for united states the survey points out thit that a road through central america would penetrate regions that could supply the united states with such needed things as rice cinnamon camphor quinine rubber copra vegetable oils gums hemp etc in further study of trade ad vantages such a road to panama would bring us made in operation cooperation with the department of commerce the united states bureau of public roads report says tl TI ough these countries and the caribbean region 7 in general have been regarded as high production cost areas the cause of this is trace able primarily to lack of cheap trans port atlon and not to any inherent dim cuttles of resources or man power adequate highways connecting with the present short water hauls will do much to remedy existing deficiencies these apply chiefly to agriculture which will doubtless dominate this region for centuries to come let et they also pertain to lumbering with vast har hardwood dAood forests thus tar far indevel 0 ped and to mining with mineral resources still undetermined with the funds recently made avail able by congress a definite location survey of the road as far as its panama and a reconnaissance survey of the section from panama to argentina will be made such a survey through south america would be highly useful to each country traversed as a guide to future road building programs |