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Show A Good Road Year Road statistics for the first ten months of 1J30 are encouraging. According to W. C. Markham, jf ihe American Association of Slate Highway OMcials, during this period per-iod 12,503 milus have been paved, 15.7G3 miles have received low-type low-type surfacing and 9,951 miles have been graded and drained. Compared Com-pared to 1929, this represent an increased in-creased mileage of 5,715. At least 50,000 men, in addition to the regular working forces, have been employed on state systems alone. Thus road work Is play ng an important part in mitigating the cllects of the unemployment situation. situa-tion. The slates, this year, have spent about $800,000,000 for roads, In addition to more than $100,000,000 for payment on bond principal. Of the former sum, C7.7 per cenl was used for construction, 21.6 per cent for maintenance and the remainder re-mainder for interest on bonds, purchase pur-chase of equipment, etc. States are turning their attention atten-tion to the farm-to-market highway high-way problem recognizing that its speedy solution is essential to the organizaing of agriculture on a sound and prosperous basis. Nine-teen-thirty, in the" matter of roads, is showing great progress over 1929. During 1931 we should take a still longer step forwar in providing rural areas with weather-proof, year-round, surfaced ' arteries of transportation. |