CONFERENCE OF GOVERNORS. 93 



It may be, and indeed it seems now almost certain, that a ma- 

 terial will be found, if it has not already been found, which when 

 placed upon the surface or embodied in the top course of a macadam 

 road will offer a surfacing which will not be destroyed by the 

 abrading action of automobile wheels. It may be proper to say 

 here that this commission has experimented for several years in 

 the use of tar, pitch, asphalt and oil in surfacing and even build- 

 ing roads; but it is not yet prepared to say what material, if any, 

 of those already experimented with, will become the material for 

 general use. 



That the automobile has introduced a wholly new condition is 

 undoubtedly true. It is also undoubtedly true that it has not 

 caused a revolution of the theory of the macadam road, except 

 only so far as the wearing surface is concerned. 



Uniformity in Design and Control. 



I was forcibly impressed, in traversing recently both France 

 and England, to observe that they not only had State roads, as 

 we call them, covering great numbers of miles, but that they had 

 hundreds of miles of nearly equally good roads buUt under the 

 control of the counties, which show not only excellence in location 

 and construction, but a most admirable system of maintenance. A 

 large part of the deserved reputation for its good roads that France 

 has to-day is due to the fact that for more than a century its 

 roads have been under uniform and intelligent authority. 



It should be understood also that in the country districts of 

 both England and Prance a soft limestone is used for building 

 roads. This stone is easily obtained and easily broken up, and 

 placed directly upon the surface of the soil; and, although steam 

 rollers are used, ordinary trafSc will soon wear this comparatively 

 soft stone down to a smooth surface. It presents a uniformly 

 white or nearly white smooth surface, which is most agreeable to 

 ride over; and the lime in the stone, when more or less powdered 

 up, forms a cement which, where trafBc is light, will well stand the 

 wear and tear. I mention this because, to the ordinary layman, 

 it seems that he travels for long distances in both these countries 

 over perfectly smooth white roads, with beautiful roadsides and 

 lines of magnificent trees on both sides, and he thinks how much 

 better they do it there than in our country. 



To the trained road builder it is very evident that this result 

 is attained by the proper use of the materials at hand, carried on 

 from year to year, and that the roads have not required in their 



