PUBLIC'S ATTITUDE TOWARD "COOD ROADS" UNDERGOES RADICAL CHANGE Motor Truck Causes Those More or Less Skeptical to Awaken to Fact That Improved Highways are Not Merely "Speedways" By E. A. Williams, Jr.. President of the Gsrford Motor TTmk Company The public's conception of "good reads" hast undergone a radical change in the last two years. Prior to the entry of the United , States into the world war, the non motoring American public, more of- i ten than not, thought good roads were advocated chiefly for the benefit of their more fortunate neighbors who owned and drove their own motor cars. They were inclined to regard good roads laws as class legislation and were unwilling for the most part to lend either financial or moral support to the construction and up keep of something from which they i derived nd direct benefits so far as j they could see. That conception no longer exists. , Universal recognition of the Motor Truck's value as a means of trans- ; portation, demonstrated under the stress of war, has brought about a leaders of the industry had foreseen • change. The war merely hastened what j for several years: it furnished the setting and the condition which en abled the truck to establish itself j as a factor in the economic life of the country. Under normal conditions its | * recognition and general adoption would have been more gradual, but none the less convincing. The non-motoring public no longer looks upon good roads as "speedways for the motoring "aristocracy." It has come to realize that motor trucks are essential as transportation fac- ; tors and that good roads are neces sary to the efficient operation of , trucks. Its vision has been broaden- j ed; it sees the advantages and bene- i fits which acrue from a combination ; of these factors —benefits which have | a direct bearing upon the economic j conditions of the community. It sees the farm brought, one might i say, to the very table of the consum- | er; it sees an ultimate decrease in _ food prices; and. those who pause j to consider the matter further, see t the ever expanding range of possi- j bilities of the truck and its ally, good j roads, throughout the industrial and . commercial world. With the universal recognition and ! adoption of the motor truck, the pub- j lie's conception of how roads should | be built also has undergone a change. I Heretofore there has been a vast j difference between the average man's ! idea of good roads and that of the j experienced engineer. The average j man was content to build for the | present: the engineer, as the result ; of past and not altogether satisfac- j tory experience, knows and has j known the importance of building I for the future as well as the present, j The first thing a railroad does after j obtaining a right-of-way, as every- j one knows, is to build a roadbed and ! lay tracks. That roadbed is put in to stay. The tracks, which corre- i sponds to the surface of the high- ' 'way, is built of the most substantial and practical material to be had. The railroad offcials, however, do j not expect this roadbed and track ; to last forever without attention. Long ago they learned that the only i way to assure safety and durability ' is to anticipate depreciation and mkke j constant repairs. For this purpose they maintain ! crews who are xontinually repairing and the roadbeds and replacing tracks. From time to time flaws are certain to develop—condi tions and elements over which man has no control are responsible. These nre quickly remedied—reinforced—by the crews which are on the lookout for such breaks. That is just what we are coming j to in roadbuilding. For years it has been customary for county engineers to direct such operations but for the t most part their work has been hamp- j ered by lack of funds, and inadequate j force or by limited legislation and | more or less red tape. There are \ some states in which farmers are ' still working out their road-tax by j the day, hauling gravel or stone in j a more or less haphazzard fashion for the construction of roads; upon their 1 efforts and those of a limited force j of hired workers depends the main- i tenance of the community's high- j ways. In the past we have built for the j present only; in the future we Willi build for the present arid future. We J Rettberg Brothers •128-450 X. Front St. Steelton . Authorized Ford Sales and Service. Station Auto Repairing, Battery Re charging, United States and Goodrich Tires, Mobiloils. Texaco Motor Oils. Agency Gould Stor- I age Battery. BELL PHOXE q STEPHENS Sa sg" an y Cai l . or write fc. 1 IMSS! ■ • II IMP & ifgygß) catalogue. \^s§§!^/^ _ ~ A car tllat is roomy and luxurious, with comfortable seating capacity cell Phone rcal leather upholstery over curled hair; soft flexible springs: well bulit i r\rio body, made extra strong and free from rattles, a superb engine, with power XUUJ to spare; a car spelling economy in Its every line, is the car that Is ideal to own. Such a car is the Stephens Salient Six. J® S® SIBLE, .Jr. DISTRIBUTOR Third & Cumberland Sts. Harrisburg SATURDAY EVENING, have come to realize the economy of constructing roads of lasting ma terials, of laying the most durable foundations —foundations which will last for time upon end and require a minimum amount of attention. Our forefathers recognised, in a manner, the necessity of installing durable foundations back in the days when they built corduroy .loads through the wilderness of tills coun try. Recently in an Indian city, en gineers were installing a concrete foundation along the main thorough fare. In excavating they came upon a corduroy road, buried several Inches under the street surface. The road was constructed of black walnut and extended, they found later, for a dis tance of nearly a mile, llather ex pensive roadbeds In these days. The logs were in excellent condition. They mado a complete new survey and utilized the old roadbed in their c.n creto construction. Roads of the future w'.l not only be built to meet the requirements which necessarily will be made upon them but they will be maintained, or should be, in the same systematic manner that a railroad maintains its property. As the railroads utilize their own equipment for repairing ami construction purposes, the truck will be utilized in good roads build ing and upkeep. Road maintenance crews, with their truck equipment, will be as familiar a sight as those we see const intty at work along rail road right-of-ways. Highway improvement naturally is in its infancv. It will be many years perhaps before the vast system which will extend throughout the country will become a reality. But with the impetus gained during and immed iately following the war, the work should progress with greater rapidity and more discernible results in the next live years than it has in the past score of years. Congress has shown its appreciation of the vital need for improved highways by pass ing an amen 'ment to the Tost Office Bill providing for an incretsed appro priation of t200.000.000 to be expend ed in highway development. State Legislatures thriughout the Automobile and Aeroplane School Instruction Day and Night The cut above shows the men at a typical instruction period learning the automobile an aeroplane business. 15,000 aeroplane operators are wanted, and thousands of aero plane and automobile mechanics are in demand. Our School is running day and night malting men competent to fill these positions. Full Course J50.00 Now. Write for particulars or call at 25 .North Cameron St., llar r isbtirg, in., or nt Training <tu .-triers, 260 South Front St., Steelton, Pa. Automobile and Aeroplane Mechanical School 2CO S. FRONT ST.. STEEI.TON', I'a. country arc anil have been engaged in the consideration and passage of numerous hills which carry large ap propriations for the development of roads. Even this is just beginning. M iddletown The T. J. K. Club of town, was entertained at the home of Miss Agnes Murkley, East Main street, last evening. After the business was transacted a social h-our was spent. Refreshments were served to Mrs. C. J. Llndermuth, Mrs. Raymond Gilbert, Miss Krma Brennerman, Miss Rutli MeXarr, Miss Martha ! Swartz, Miss Onia Lutz, Miss Ver ! oma Keifer, Miss Angnes Markley, i Miss Charltne Fisliel and Miss 110- maine Kennard. At the meeting of the captains and lieutenants of the Victory Loan Com j mittee Thursday evening, two of the j members of the air service at the Ordnance Depot agreed to take the ■ one who so'.d the most Victory bonds | and to the one that sold the largest j amount, a Tide in an airplane, the j drive will bo started next Monda> ! morning.—Jacob Fishier, of Lorain, | Oh.o, is spending a week In town ! wit,l friendand relatives. —William Buih.r moved i'roni Race street, to ! Russel avenue. George Brandt, who was recently mustered out 01 I service and lias been spending the I p ui two weeks in town as the guest of ins parents. Mr. and Mrs. John Brandt, Bike street, will leave next week lor Sidney, Canada. —The Roy altou schools closed yesterday, after an eight mvnths term, and the gram mat school exercises were held in the High School building yesterday | atternoon. —The choir of the Meth i odist church, who were to be enter tained at the parsonage on Thurs i dav evening, were entertained at ; the home of Airs. D. W-. lluntzber ! ger. Xorth Union street, instead, ; owing to Bennett Cunningham, the | youngest son of the Rev. and Mrs. ! James Cunningham, being quite ill. A vc#.v enjoyable evening was spent. | and refreshments were served. Karl llouser of Royalton, lias ac j ceplcd a position as clerk in the I American store. Eolith Union street. The Riverside Chapel Sunday school vill change their hour of I meeting from 1.30 P. M. to 9.43 A. 1 M. s,arting to-morrow morning. Mr. and Mrs. Harry Thompson, of ! Pine street, entertained a number of : friends at her home last evening in i evening in honor of their son, Ar • thur Thompson, who is home on a ; ten-day furlough from Camp Lee. I Va„ after various games had been ; played, refreshments were served. | Mr. Thompson will return to camp on Sunday. M.ss Kathryn Metzler, of Royal l ton, entertained a number of HAItniSBTJItG irT TOKAPg friends at lier hime last evening in honor of Miss Lillian lvendig. Aftor games of various kinds were played refreshments were served to: Miss Margaret Suavely, Miss Lillian Ken dig, Beulah Wolf, llelen Kgeider, Eyrma Long, Rhea Neeter., Clara Palmer, Letonia Matliias, Kathryn Eiehelberger, Kathryn Metzler, Mr. and Mrs. Eli Metzler, Mr. and Mrs. William Metzler, Robert Metzler, Carl Dupes. David Metzler. William Neeter, Elwood Kling, Harold Wolf, Harold Donboltzer, Raymond Es penshade, Edward Hockey and Ed> gar Hoffman. . Isaac Singer has returned home from a week's business trip to Phil adelphia. Triune Lodge No. 307, I. O. O. P., will attend divine services in the Presbyterian Church Sunday evening when the pastor, the Rev. T. C. Mc- Garrell, will preach a special sermon to them. Lieutenant Lauman G. Laverty, who is stationed at Fort Henry, | Baltimore, is. spending a month's l furlough in town as the guests of j his sisters, the Misses Lydia and J Theo Laverty, North Union street, i He will have his household goods | shipped from his home to Harris- j burg, where he and his wife will go to housekeeping after he is muster- j ed out of service. He will open up j an office at Harrisburg, where he had been practicing before he was j mustered into service. He spent scv- | oral months overseas. MIIIDLETOWN CHURCHES First United Brethren —The Rev. A. E. G. Bossier. 11. "Our Conse- j oration;' 7.50, "Walking With ; Jesus." , Presbyterian—-The Rev. T. C. Mo- Carrel!. 11, "An Ancient Order;" I 7.30, "Our Helper." Church of God —The Rev. O. M. | K ray bill. 11, "Tho Believer's i J Here Are Some Figures That 11 I Are Eloquent WITH MORE THAN 100,000 Reo "Speed THOSE FIGURES TELL the story of Reo Wagons" and Passenger Cars in service quality—Reo stability—Reo dependability P last year, the factory Parts Department —as no mere words could do. jij showed a total revenue of $700,000. fi j : A „ AI,T A A LOW UPKEEP is a Reo attribute, and it THAT S ONLY AN AVERAGE of $7.00 j s d ue ma inly to that Reo policy of put per Speed Wagon or Passenger Car, ti 50 cent o versi 2 e"-the Reo pard by Reo owners for replacement standard factor of safety-in all vital : j parts during the year. parts, such as axles, driving shafts, WHEN YOU CONSIDER that, of those bearings, etc. ' | 100,000 Reos, only 20 per cent, were j|ij in their first season, another 25 per cent THE REO OILING SYSTEM is another in their second season, and the rest rang- reason. For a faulty lubrication system i ing all the way from 3 to 14 years of age, * s source of many ruined bearings jjs the figures are still more astonishing. anc * and of great expense. The It * THEN CONSIDER, TOO, that those re- Re ° s y stem 1S well m S h P erfect - I placements included parts injured or THAT IT PAYS to build that kind of pro broken in major accidents and collisions duct is best proven by the tremendous as well as-ordinary wear, and you will over-demand the Reo output has always see that the normal replacements must enjoyed. i |j|! be even lower than that average. ! | OBVIOUSLY, many Reo owners must- AT J, HI ? U TIME {i is even £ reater > if P os " have had to buy no replacement parts sible, than at any previous time. J at all-considering a street car collision so THE ONLY WAY to be at all sure of frequently cails for two or three hundred getting a Reo "Speed Wagon" is to order j I lj : ;! dollars worth of parts. early now AS A MATTER OF FACT the records ' show that thousands of Reo owners ' BETTER SEE ABOUT THIS at once, have yet to buy their first replacement Delay may result in your having to p accept your second choice in lieu of a Reo. §! Harrisburg Auto Co. 11 Fourth and Kelker Sts. DISTRIBUTORS Harrisbnro, Pa. Reo Motor Car Company, Lansing, Michigan (159T80) I J OOtD 1 STANDARD 1 1| OF VALUES" Standing nnd State:' 7.30, "The Conversion of Saul." St. Peter's Lutheran—Tho Rev. Fuller Bergstressor. "10.45, "Tho Afterglow of Easter;" 7.30, "A Rid del." , Methodist —Tho Rev. James Cun ningham. 10.45 nnd 7.30. mmn SRUBBERS comfort, econ om y REBOUND j|| Square Seal Auto Supply 00. 1408 NORTH THIRD STREET Royalton United Brethren^—Tho | Rev. C. R. Boidol. 10.30, "An Honest j Doubter Cured;" 7.30, baccalaurtaie \ to Royalton High school graduates, j St. Michael's and" All-Angel's—J The Rev. Floyd Appleton, 4.30. St. Mary's Catholic—Tho Rev. | Juley Fotn. Mass, 8.10; vespers and : benediction, 7.30. APRIL 26, 1919. WANT TO SELL YOUR OLD CAR QUICK? Spot Cash Waiting For Yoa No matter what condition your old car may be in, we will buy it and give you every dollar it is worth. That's our business. We Sell Used Cars and Parts Too We have practically any part for any make of car and sell them at prices that mean a saving of dollars and time. WE SPECIALIZE IN REPAIRING Electrical work and all kinds of repairing given prompt attention by experts. [ A. SCHIFFMAN, Mgr. J 22—24—28 N. CAMERON ST. | 13
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers