498 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



one way, and 430 motor vehicles and 12 

 wagons in the other direction. A 16-hour 

 period over the Russell road, also in Al- 

 exandria County, produced only 2 horse- 

 drawn vehicles and 104 motor-driven cars 

 going north, and 3 horse-drawn vehicles 

 and 107 motor vehicles going south. 



It would appear from these statistics 

 that one can safely prophesy the early 

 passing of the horse as a means of trans- 

 portation on most of the principal roads 

 of the country. Economically the horse 

 is being relegated to the fields, for man's 

 great friend performs useful service on 

 the farm and doubtless always will. 



If each automobile takes the place of 

 a team of horses, the 4,250,000 cars now 

 in use in the country would release 21,- 

 250.000 acres of land for the production 

 of foodstuffs, since it has been shown by 

 actual scientific tests that it requires five 

 acres of land to support one horse per 

 annum and only three acres per man. 

 This released land would therefore supply 

 the needs of 14,000,000 men — a total in 

 excess of the forces employed in the 

 present war by all the Allies. 



GOOD HIGHWAYS PROVIDE A MEANS OF 

 NATION-WIDE INTERCOURSE 



While the commercial aspect of road- 

 building in relation to the transport of 

 produce from farm to market and mer- 

 chandise from factory to consumer prop- 

 erly demands great consideration, the 

 fact should not be overlooked that road 

 travel presents social advantages which 

 are as essential to the development of a 

 nation as is the accumulation of dollars. 

 An intimate knowledge of a man's own 

 State, such as is gained by road travel, 

 makes for the betterment of citizenship 

 generally. The man who visits adjoining 

 States has brought to his attention the 

 needs of other sections of the country, 

 and inevitably his viewpoint assumes a 

 national character. 



Most of our States have scenic at- 

 tractions that would cause any European 

 country possessing them to invite the 

 whole world to come and see ; yet how 

 few, when you consider the vastness of 

 such assets of our country, are accessible 

 by road : and while it is true that, viewed 

 entirely from a dollars-and-cents stand- 



point, some of our highways might not 

 be considered commercially important, 

 their construction is essential if American 

 citizens are to enjoy the beauties which 

 Nature provides ; and to be a bigger and 

 broader people we must get close to Na- 

 ture now and then. 



AS ESSENTIAL TO A NATION^ PROGRESS 

 AS POPULATION 



In comprehensive transportation plans 

 it is now essential that highways be given 

 equal, if not greater, consideration than 

 rail lines. Main arteries must accept the 

 multiplying traffic of the tributary roads, 

 which means rugged construction and 

 systematic maintenance. 



Just as every county should have north- 

 south and east-west connections with 

 neighboring county seats, each State 

 should have interstate communication 

 with adjacent capitals and large centers 

 of population, until a truly country-wide 

 road circulation for all purposes is pos- 

 sible. 



That the Federal Aid Road Act must 

 produce real results in order that the Na- 

 tional Government shall continue its high- 

 ways cooperation with the several States, 

 is a fact which must be apparent to any 

 student of transportation problems. This 

 plan will collapse if the money supplied 

 from the federal treasury is expended by 

 the States in such manner as to leave 

 indefinite evidence of this much needed 

 partnership. Such practice would give 

 those who oppose the federal venture 

 forceful argument for its discontinuance. 



The Secretary of Agriculture deserves 

 much commendation for his insistence 

 that the federal money shall be spent upon 

 highways which enter into the creation of 

 State road systems. Not a few of these 

 roads have a military significance ; all of 

 them have to do with food prices. 



It is incumbent upon the States to pur- 

 sue a policy which shall demonstrate that 

 federal funds are not wanted for local 

 road-building, but are to be employed in 

 highway construction which has to dc 

 with the ultimate establishment of a na- 

 tional svstem. This means that every 

 county in a State cannot be given small 

 sums from the federal appropriation, the 

 expenditure of which would leave scarcely 

 a trace of highwav benefit. 



