350 AGRICULTURAL APPROPRIATION BILL, 1924. 



that those regulations will necessarily vary with different sections of 

 the country. For example, in an agricultural State — I have recently 

 been over a number of miles of roads in Texas, wliere, I believe, 

 heavy truck traffic should not be allowed: that is. the heavy truck 

 traffic necessary to the industries of the New England States is not 

 necessary in large areas of Texas, where on many miles of liighways 

 there are sparsely settled agricultural communities only. 



Mr. BirciLWAX. Certain stretches of highways that are not built 

 for heavy trucks ^ 



Mr. MacDoxald. No; and even though these roads were built for 

 heavy truck traffic, there is not the traffic to demand heavy trucks, 

 but rather trucks of the lighter type. Tlie passenger car traffic is 

 important. 



Mr. Buchanan. And the heavy trucks result in serious injury to the 

 roads ? 



Mr. MacDonald. If they are loaded to the point of causing a break 

 in the surface, and then every vehicle becomes a destroying agency: 

 but until that break does occur the road serves the traffic without 

 serious deterioration. 



Mr. Buchanan. Then, my understanding of these studies that are 

 being conducted, both with regard to the weight of the trucks and the 

 amount of traffic, and so forth, is with the ultimate object of pre- 

 senting to the people, or to Congress, the (juestion as to whether or 

 not there should be rules and regulations established by the Federal 

 Government, either by Congress or by the department, with the 

 authority of Congress, as to what traffic is going to go over the roads 

 that the Federal money enters into the construction of throughout 

 the Union ? 



Mr. MacDonald. Yes. 



Mr. Buchanan. With an idea of uniformity of traffic regidations so 

 far as possible. 



Mr. MacDonald. Yes, sir; but 1 should like to (pialify it to this 

 extent, that we are approaching that end by these cooperative 

 studies with the State highway tlepartments of some of the States in 

 which this problem has become acute, with the idea of establishing in 

 those States, as nearly ideal laws as possible, in order that through 

 and from actual experience the proper legislative authority will be 

 able to fix wisely regulations in all States. 



Mr. Andeh.son. In my part of the country, which is, as you know, 

 largely agricultural, the thing that is tearing uj) the roads more than 

 trucks, }>erause we do not have a great deal of truck traffic at present, 

 is the l)ig busses that run up and down some of our highways, making 

 regular runs of 1.50 or 200 miles a day, carrying l.'i or 20 or 25 people. 



Mr. MAci)()N.\LD. Over gravel roads, particularlv in dry seasons 

 of the year, tlie action of the tires of heavy, fast, i>usses is to ravel 

 the top surface very rapidly. 



Mr. Buchan.\n. You are s|)eaking of gravel roads ^ lias the 

 department come to any definite conclusion as to gravel roads being 

 biiill hy hoiid issues hy counties, the bonds being issued for 30 or 

 40 years; is that not absolutely uneconomical^ 



Mr. MacDonald. \Vc do not think such practice is good. We 

 think that it is very had practice. 



Mr. Bi(M\\\\ "Thnl K all that 1 waul to know, all of which 

 agree with. 



