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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (July 17, 1921)
THE STJ3TDAT OKEGOXIAN, PORTLAND, JULY 17, 1921 GOOD ROADS MOVE BRINGING RESULTS 300,000 Miles of Hard-Surface Now Laid. $1,500,000,000 IS NEEDED Total of 1702 Agencies Xow Are Actively at Work to Gain Im provement of Highways. BY C. S. LEE, director. Highways Information Service. New York. The growth of the good roade movement in the United States and Canada since its organized inception In 1880, and with the great stimulus It received in the periods immediately following the advent of the automo bile and the appearance of the motor truck, has been so rapid, so extensive end so effective that highway con struction today constitutes one of the greatest, if not the greatest, prob lem in American economic life. There are now 1702 organized .gencies actively and directly pleading- the cause of good roads. The agitation, to date, has brought about the construction of 310.000 miles of surfaced highways raising the high way mileage of the United States to 2,478,-552 and that of Canada to 255.000. The automotive Industry, fourth largest in the country, with 368 manufacturing plants capitalized at 11,20478,642 and employing 325,000 workmen; having an annual output of 2,205.197 passenger cars and trucks valued at $3,504,814,620, and supple mented as it is, by 1900 firms produc ing automobile parts valued at $300, 000,000 a .year, together with 1000 firms manufacturing annually 35,000, 000 tires valued at $1,000,000,000, is ab solutely dependent upon highway im provement for its stability and upon Increased road mileage for greater expansion. In addition, 33.0(H) dis tributors of automobiles are involved, as well as 45,800 dealers in automo bile accessories and 35,000 dealers in tires. So great, too, has the road building industry become, in conse quence of the demand for improved roads, that there are now 7500 con tracting firms engaged in actual con struction work. The roads are now traversed by 9,211,205 licensed cars and trucks, of which 3,000,000 are used on the farms. These car3 con sumed 3,200,000,000 gallons of gaso line last year. Cumpnlen Beeun In 1SSO. Prior to 1880, when Amos G. Batch elder, late chairman of the executive board of the American Automobile association at Washington, with H. S. tarle of Detroit and other pioneer advocates, organized the League of American Wheelmen and began a sys tematic campaign, a good roads en thusiast was looked upon with un disguised curiosity or amusement as something of a "nut" a loquacious but no doubt well meaning person who might be seen but not heard. """""J e was promptly "sat down upon" by the lugubrious taxpayer. Opposition gradually melted away, kowever, as the campaign became more fully organized and -extended. Since 1880 more than $3,000,000,000 has been spent for highway improve ment in the United States and Can ada. More than $1,300,000,000 is now available and $1,500,000,000 additional will be necessary to .carry out proj ects under contemplation. And yet, with all this, only a beginning has been made. Billions more must be expended before the country has any thing like a highway system ade quate to the traffic needs. The great demand for good roads nd the progress made in road build ing has evolved many types of hard surfaced roadway, of which the bitu minous are in greatest general use. fcrick and concrete roads also have developed with the agitation, as have the wooden block and granite block types. The most recent available figures give 42.11 per cent of the sur faced roads in the United States as being of gravel, 26.22 per cent as of macadam. 17.16 per cent as of sand clay, 1098 per cent as of asphalt and ether bituminous materials, 3 91 of concrete and .62 per cent of brick. X he figures for the asphaltic and lrck types a total of 15.53 per cent shOM- the extent to which the city types of pavement have been adopted In the rural distr'cts. The woodblock and the granite block types do not appear to have progressed as yet be yond the city boundaries. KlKTirea Arc Compiled. According to figures compiled by VJ1 CI;aI bureau there are now 2-.030 miles of federal aid roads in iiii Vjyy st.atcs- These have cst II U ? V68 Latest figures compiled by the Asphalt association, New York show that $343,678,712.36 were made available in 563 new highway bond Issues by states, counties, townships road districts and municipalities in Iia-f4ia?-da'J"ne this year- This makes l.J43,6.8.3b now available for road work in the United States during the next two years. It has been only by the most per sistent efforts on the part of the advocates and the formation of mil "Sanitations everywhere that The Good Roads Movement" has been carried to its present high estate. The automobile and the motor truck Jiave done more to form a favorable sentiment than any other agency , While state road building policies were nothing new. In view of the action inaugurated by Kentucky in 1821 which resulted in h tin of 343 miles of state roads by 1837. very little had been accom plished by any of the states or the federal government beyond the con struction of the toll roads and the old "National road" from Cumber land. Md, to St. Louis. Mo. ' The lat ter was begun in 1806, during the ad ministration of Thomas Jefferson. The first state aid law was passed by the New Jersey legislature Un 1891. The next year the "National League for Good Roads" was formed to conduct a vigorous-campaign for the establishment of a federal high Ways bureau. In 1S93 the department of agriculture, in accordance with an act of congress approved March . 1893. established the office of road Inquiry to investigate systems of road management throughout the. United States. Auto Introduced by lOOO, The automobile was introduced from 1895 to li-00. giving the move ment an impetus that pushed it far o the front. The introduction of. trie motor truck In 1904 sent it, for ward to even ' greater heights. The following year New York state took the lead by appropriating $50,000,000 for good roads. In 1912 the first federal aid convention was held by the American Automobile association et Washington and congress estab lished at Joint committee to go into the whole field of government par ticipation In road work. That year, too. congress appropriated $500.01)0 for the improvement of selected post roads. Individual, local and state highway officials established in of fice in the meantime, began their agi- tation. New Jersey established ' the first state highway commission In 1892, and Massachusetts followed in 1893, 9iot only with a commission but a state highway system. Today 48 states have highway departments. Many national organizations sprang up, chief among which were the American Highway association. . the American Road Builders' association, the Automobile Chamber of Com merce, the American AssociationNof State Highway Officials, the Asso ciated Highways of America, tfe Federal Highways Council, the Na tional Highway Traffic association, the National Highways association, the National Park Touring associa tion, the United States Good Reads association, the Public Land States Highways association, the Trl-State Good Roads association, the Canadian Good Roads association and others. Of the agencies that are now fight ing for highway improvement, 66 are organized movements for the con struction of certain national or Inter state highways, 15 are national or interstate good roads associations, 34 are state organizations. 364 are auto mobile associations and motor clubs, 260 are road contractors, material or machinery trade associations aud en gineering societies, 32 are motor irucl and automobile trade organizations and 131 agencies are publications de voted to the movement in one form or another. In addition, there are 735 chambers of commerce, merchants as sociations and boards of trade having good roads committees and 135 na tional trade or industrial associations having standing committees which frame the policies of those organiza tions in matters pertaining to high way improvement Owners' Are Interested Interest on the part of nearly 10, 000,000 automobile and truck owners as well as the owners of 6.000,000 teams of horses and-mules regularly using or working on the highways, not to mention the smaller numbers of federal, state, county, district and municipal highway officials, engi neers, contractors, manufacturers of machinery and materials, rural mail carriers, resort owners, farmers, mer chants, real estate dealers, motorcy clists, bicyclists and others directly interested, has given to the movement strength so great that no politician, national, state or local, dare refuse to listen when there is an honest demand for road improvement. At least 30, OOO,OOO0Americans are now advocates of good roads. According to figures from reports to the asphalt association of New York City, for the month of June, 1921, compared to figures for May, provi sion for future highway work in the United States and Canada took a big spurt during the month just closed. During June a total of $179,307,359.36 in new .bond Issues for rdads and stree'ts were reported from 310 states, counties, townships, road districts and municipalities, compared to $T.64, 371,353 from 259 similar divisions of government having charge of high way work. This is an increase of $14,936,006.36 for June over May and makes a total of $343,678,712.36 in new bond issues over and above the $1,000,000,000 previously available, or a grand total of $1,43,678,712.36 now available for highway work in the United States and Canada. The reports show that greatest in terest in highway improvement exists in Alabama, -California, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, 'Tennes see, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming." The southern states, espe cially, have been coming to the front. Pennsylvania, however, now leads the country in fund3 provided. Alaska, Arkansas, the District of Columbia, Maine, Nevada, NewHampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island and Vermont, the figures show, are providing, on the other hand, very little in new bond issues and apparently are taking little interest in highway construc tion. Ohio leads the states In the number of new bond issues, having reported 63 in June and 49 in May, a total of 112. New York follows with a total of 52 and Pennsylvania was third with 44. North Carolina re ported 36 and Texas 35. Virginia led in amount of bond issues for June, reporting a total of $51,419,000 last month as against $810,000 for May. Pennsylvania was second for June with a total of $26,078,000 and New York was third with $23,63460. Texas reported June bond issues qf $13,286, 000 as against $3,631,000 in May. CONFIDENCE GOMES BACK IXLAXD EMPIRE COXD1TIOXS DECLARED MEXDISG. Prosperity Returning: and Auto Buying; Increasing, Says Percy M. Johnson of Portland. Optimism prevails throughout east em Oregon, Washingto nand Idaho, and improved conditions are rapidly restoring confidence and buying .in these sections, according to Percy M. Johnson, assistant to Fred W. Vogler, president of the Northwest Auto com pany, who has Just returned from a two weeks' trip through the Inland Empire. "At Ontario and Vale," said John son, "conditions are greatly im proved, chiefly due to an unusually heavy supply of water fjr irrigation. This is the first year of available irrigation from he Warm Springs project, which will irrigate 60,000 acres in the Malheur valley. "Around Nampa, Idaho, the farmers are optimistic on account of the establishment of a new condensed milk project in the community. This plant will give farmers a fixed and regular income from their dairy herds. The magnitude of this enter prise may be' partially comprehended when I say fnat'I saw a string of milk trucks half a mile long waiting to unload at the condensing plant. "Throughout the Inland Empire crops are good, both in quality and quantity. Wheat looks fine and the farmers are of the"" opinion that they will make fair money even at present prices. Of course, they do not hope to match their wartime incomes, but they are reconciled- to present market prices and playing the game accord ingly. "it seems rather strange to say, but sheepmen seem to be in a cheerful mood. I found many who are getting higher prices for their wool than they really expected. "Around Pendleton automobile sales are on the increase. The records of our dealers there show that more cars were sold in June than in the three preceding months combined. "Road work between Pendleton and La Grande is under way, although tourists meet with some hardships. iEverywher I found evidence of unusually heavy tourist travel this summer It is safe to say that motor cars from every state in the Union will cross into Oregon this summer. Many of these will come and go by way of the new John Day highway." 'Xew Suits for Traffic Cops. They are making sign posts and signal towers of traffic policemen in some cities. For instance, in Bridge port, Conn., they have evolved a white Sam Brown belt for traffic officers on night .duty to increase the visibil ity on dark nights. And in New York city traffic "cops" are wearing signal lights strapped to their chests. By pressing- buttons they flash "go" and "stop" orders, i Batteryitis That's What Ailed Him! I wasn't educated to be a doctor, but, at thafc, I'm getting pretty expert at diagnos ing symptoms ! Fellow in this morning, for instance. He walked in unsteadily, trembling all over. In a minute I knew the spasm would pass off and he would no longer be speechless far from it! so I waited patiently. Poor fellow, he had Raging Batteryitis in its worst form. I knew what the trouble was all the time. "The old-fashioned insulation in his battery had broken down and not only kept him from an appointment but probably ruined the battery as well. Do you know, I'll be old and gray -haired before I'll understand why anybody keep's on trying batteries with old-fashioned insu lation that they know, will break down before the battery is used up. Why don't .they all come to Willard Threaded Rubber first instead of coming to it afterwards when hard, sad experience has driven them to it? Maybe they don't know that the builders of 18S makes of cars and trucks pay the additional price for Willard Threaded Rub ber, to give users more miles of bat'tery service per dollar. . . CYT.SrYVV Why Don't You Dodge Those Battery "Doctor Bills"? Cars Equipped by Their Makers with Willard Threaded Rubber Batteries: American American Beauty Auburn Austin Bacon Belmont .Biddle Crane Canadian Briscoe Cannon Ball Carroll Case Chevrolet Citroen Cole Colonial Comet Commodore Consolidated Crawford Cunningham Daniels Davis Dixie Flyer Dodge Dorris Dragon Elcar Elgin Fergus Ferris Franklin Glide Goodman HCS . Halladay . Hatfield Haynts Henriey Holmes Huffman Hupmobile Jordan Kissel Lancia Landa Lexington MHC Marmon McFarlan McLaughlin Mercedes Merit Meteor (Piqua) Metz Miller Mitchell Nash Six Nelson Noma Norwalk Ogren Oldsmobile Olympian Packard Paige Pan hard Paterson Peerless Peugeot Phianna Pierce-Arrow "Premier R 8b V Knight Renault Reo ReVere Riddle Roamer Rock Falls Sayers Standard 8 Stanley Stan wood Y F Stewart Studebaker Stutz -Sunbeam Tarkington Velie Westcott Wills Sainte Claire Winther Winton It's not only the cost of the operation, but the inconvenience and uncertainty that makes "doctoring up" the battery so undesirable. ' 1 If you weren't careful when you bought your battery if you just bought an ordinary battery you may have, to call in the battery doctor any time, to perform the same operation he has done over and over again. , . He'll open up the battery and take out- what? The separators between the positive and-negative plates. And having done that he'll put in some new sepa rators, hand you the bill and fade out of sight. You've bought at a high price maybe a few weeks, or perhaps a few months, of added battery life. Not even the repair man can tell you how much. Why not do as the Willard, Service Man says in his column, and dodge all this trouble? All yoil have to do is to be sure that you get the one insulation that doesn't crack, warp, check, or puncture and " that doesn't need to be replaced during the life of the battery plates in short, get Willard Threaded Rubber Insulation. H Mp '23' mi ;; w mm Go to your nearest dealer for Willard Service or a new Willard Threaded Rubber Battery: Also standard original equipment on 92 make 0 truck OREGON Albany, Auto. Klec Serv. Co. Ashland, Jordan Electric Co. Astoria, Astoria Storage Bat tery Co. ( Baker, Charles Clark Condon, Condon Electric Co. Corvallis, Auto Elec. Serv. Co. Dallas, Dallas Battery Service Co. Enterprise, Enterprise Storage Battery Co. Eugene, Eugene Storage Bat tery Co. tit-- Grants Pass, H. S. Disbrow -Heppner, Battery Elec. Service Station Hillsboro, Battery Equip. Co. Hood River, Moore Elec. Co. Klamajh Falls, Link River Battery Station La Grande, La Grande Battery Station Marshfield, Coos Bay Batt. Co. McMinnville, Valley Batt. Co. Medford, Electric Shop Milton, Milton Auto Electric Company 8 Newburgr, Groth Electric Company Oregon City, C. R. Hilgers Pendleton, Pendleton Storage 0 Battery Co. Portland, Harper-Burg, Inc. Prairie City, J. L. Peterson Prineville, Inland Auto Co. Roseburg, Auto Elec Station Salem, Degge & Buttell The Dalles, The Dalles Battery Co. Tillamook, Tillamook Battery Station WASHINGTON Aberdeen, Elec Service 8s Supply Co. Centralia, Ray Hatch Co. Chehalis, Ray Hatch Co. Ellensburg, Ellensburg Elec Service Co. Goldendale, C. R. Ralston Hoquiam, Stor. Batt. Serv. Co. Olympia, Olympia Bat. Co., Inc Raymond, J. O. Williams Vancouver, Vancouver Batt. Co. Yakima, Wiseman -Spencer - Jacklett, Inc. THREADED RUBBER BATTERY 1P3 earn fi . . . . - ..... ii-i-aS TRACK NEAR 8BMPUTI0N GIAXT SPEEDWAY AT COTATI IS BIG ENTERPRISE. Great Auto Classic to Inaugurate Bowl August 14 Promises to Draw Huge Crowd. SAN FRANCISCO, July 18. Finish ing touches on th giant track of the north bay counties, speedway at Co tati are now being put on by Jack Prince and his crew of experts, and work on the . track proper will be finished very shortly. Actual wurk ou the giant wooden bowl was start ed on May 9 and since that day nearly 3.000.000 feet of lumber and 6S tons of nails have been placed in the track that should 'break all rec ords for speed, ' according to its builder. As soon as the last nail has been driven in the track the crew of work men will turn their attention to the grandstands, which will flank either stretch, and both will be completed long before the opening day. August, 14, the day on which the track is scheduled to be opened, has already been given the approval "of the sport-loving public On this day the 150-mile championship race will be held, when the racing fans will te given the opportunity of seeing some of the greatest drivers of the age in action. Plans to handle a record crowd for this" blue ribbon event are already being made by L. L. Putnam, secretary-manager, who is receiving daily requests ,for blocks of seat reserva tions from all districts of the state. Special arrangements for adequate boat service are being made by the Northwestern Pacific, Richmond & San Rafael Ferry company, together with the Six Minute rerry and others which will handle the traffic into the north bay counties. It is stated that the train service of the Northwestern Pacific will be greatly augmented and all that is possible for the safe and convenient handling of the enormous crowds who are expected to put in an appearance will be provided. AXTO DEALERS TO CONVENE State Convention at Spokane Will Attract Large Gathering. SPOKANE, Wash., July 16. Three hundred to 400 automobile dealers of Washington were expected tJ attend the annual convention of the Wash ington automobile chamber of com merce to be held here July 29 and 30, according to announcement of those in charge of local arrange ments. R. F. Drury, assistant manager and secretary of the National Automobile Dealers' association, will address the convention on present day needs of the automobile industry, and other speakers will be Robert W. Martland of Oakland, Cal., secretary-treasurer of the California Automobile Trade association, and W. J. Hindley, edu cational director of the Washington Retail Merchants' association. A dinner for visiting, delegates, a trip to a nearby lake resort and other entertainment features are being planned. PROnXCE FALLS LX LtXE "Keep to Right" Soon to-Tk? Road Rule in British Columbia. VANCOUVER, B. C July 16. "Keep to the right" will be the rule of the road in British Columbia In common with all other provinces of Canada, with the single, exception of Noval Scotia, at the beginning of 1922, when the change in the road law goes into effect. No definite date has been set for the change, it being merely stipulated that the new rule become effective soon after January 1. 1922. The time was extended by the government so that shoppers dur ing the Christmas holidays would not ) be inconvenienced by street railway traffic confusion. Ever since British Columbia has been- a province the English rule of the road of keeping to the left has been followed by vehicular traffic. Now, as a result of the measure passed by the legislators a year and a half ago, the rule in force in the other provinces and in the United States will be adopted. The British Columbia . Electric Railway company is faced with the greatest problem in connection with the "turn to- the right" plan. The company finds it will have to spend Jl. 000, 000 to alter its equipment to meet new conditions. Of this amount, however, the provincial government has agreed to contribute $350,000. Cord Tires Gain. The increasing desire for cord tires from car owners is indicated by re cent production figures of the ,Mason Tire & Rubber company of Kent, O. These show 90 per cent of their pro duction is on cord tires and that this ratio is growing constantly in favor of cords. Solder in the Gas Tank. If you should have rue feed trou ble which you cannot locate, remove the gasoline tank and shake it. In CHANDLE Increase, 1917 to 1921, only 19 'Decrease, September, 1920 to June, 1921, $310 (With Cord Tire Equipment Added) CHANDLER 1913 Price".". . . $1785 F. O. B. Factory 1921 Price . . . . $1785 f. O. B. Factory Twin States Motor Car Co. Nineteenth at Washington four out of five cars fitted with cheap tanks there always are a few pieces of solder on the insid-e of the tank. These pieces work their way to the place over th feed line and prevent the proper flow of fuel. There is only one way of getting' the pieces out and that is to shake them out. AUTO ACCESSORIES AND PARTS aIZen"&hebard CO. : Equipment Wholesale Distributors 64-66 Broadway Phone Broadway 3223 Automotive Equipment Wholesale and Retail cROUDE COMPOUND TIRES New Light Six, Mitchell, Seven-Passenger Jordan. MITCHELL, LEWIS & STAVER CO. Broadway at Everett The Hood Shock Preventer for All Cars tfavca Springs. Brakra. oaoiine. Ford Sets $15.00 Time, 1 Other Sets Up to $32.50 Irons out the road. Snub, the bumps. E 1 I m I n m tea Bide-n7, Aio rattle. Ten days'' trial; satisfaction guaranteed. Be your own judge as to the merit of this article. Let ns show you. 31 Park St. N., Portland, Or. . ..