256 



RURAL SOCIOLOGY 



MOTOR-VEHICLE REGISTRATION AND POPULATION 



* See Editor's note. 



t Average 



(Mr. Stevens' table brought the figures to 1015 only. The motor-vehicle 

 registration for 1918 and 1919 is added from a reeent count by the B. F. 

 Coodrich Rubber Co., based on official figures from every State. It ex- 

 cludes dealer and motorcycle registrations. The population by States is 

 taken from the World Almanac for 1920. According to the Ooodrich 

 count the total motor-vehicle registrations for the United States for 1919 

 was 7,555,269, or one for every 14.2 inhabitants. This greatly exceeds 

 Mr. Stevens' estimate. ED.) 



If the average life of a car be three years, it seems possible 

 that by 1920 we shall have on our highways a total of not less 

 than 6,000,000 motor-vehicles, or one for every twenty in- 

 habitants. This is about three times our present registration. 



To care for this traffic we have in the United States about 

 2,125,000 miles of country roads, not counting streets. What 

 mileage has been "improved" it is impossible to say, for the word 

 has no standard meaning. We are probably safe in assuming 

 that for a satisfactory system not less than 1,250,OOT) miles of 

 road must still be improved. With the ever-growing traffic and 

 with the consequent demand for better construction, the ultimate 

 cost of this system will not fall short of $10,000,000,000, and its 

 construction will probably cover a period of not less than forty 

 years. These figures do not overstate the case. Many roads have 

 been and will be built too narrow, too crooked, with excessive 

 grades and inadequate pavements. These should be widened, 

 straightened, regraded, and repaved. They will also have to be 

 provided with bridges designed for the increasing weight of 

 vehicles. However this may be, it seems safe to say that we have 



