A CENTURY OF ROAD-MAKING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15375, 9 August 1913, Page 6

A CENTURY OF ROAD-MAKING.

- A fascinating account of the evolution of modern road travelling was given by Mr. Lloyd-George, in opening the third International Road Congress at Westminster. " It was difficult," he said, " to realise how backward even the United Kingdom was in the matter of road communication up to the very end of the eighteenth century. It took, oven in the summer, two whole days to get from London to. Birmingham, and in winter it took three or four days. Now there were in this country 231,000 miles about the best roads in the whole' of the civilised world. Telford and Macadam and ; other men, to ; whom they owed a great debt of gratitude, undertook to lay down some of the most magnificent roads in the world. The coming of the railroads made a curious change. Many of our roads appeared to have fallen almost into desuetude, and those: who took carriage journeys 20 or 30 years ago must have been struck by the fact that' ! the moment they left the vicinity of the great towns they found hardly any vehicles, at all. Then came the greai,. i revolution effected by the pneumatic tyre,; and the whole of the roads were ; filled with dust and delight once more. Then : came motors." . Referring to one of the secondary arterial.roads out of London, Mr. George said that 20 years ago one would probably have found at this spot a few light venides and one or two heavy carts.,

Ten years ago there was, perhaps, a long stream of bicycles. But on a.recent Sun-' day riorning, in ' a single hour, . 100 bicycles,' 60 motor-bicycles, 300 motor-cars, and 15 horse-drawn vehicles passed a given spot on that particular road. Then on the Monday morning they 'found a large number of heavy motor-vans. That was a revolution in the roads of the country. The result had been that there were 220,000 motor vehicles in Great: Britain; and Ireland alone. : > : In 1892 the roads England and Wales cost £8,500,000 to maintain. Twenty years later— year—thoy cost £15,5<X>,000-practically double. That gave an idea of the revolution that had taken place in road-making , during the last ;20 years. It was not due merely to the pressure of • motor-cars.-: There were heavy motors for conveying passengers and goods. The roads had become not merely a means of transit of passengers, but for, the conveyance of goods as wall, and they were becoming more and more so. After all, lie did not know that that was a matter to ;be deplored. The more the communications were improved the less there was to be spent on distribution, and the less there was spent on distribution the more there was left -.for? production, and -; that was, after, all, a very important consideration'for any country. . '

THE CHEAP NOVEL.. * ■":,' The tevehpenny novel, and its effect upon the -shilling novel, were the themes of a speech .made;; by Mr. Hall Caine at tho annual ~ dinner of the Associated Booksellers of Great Britain. " Speaking," he said, " as one who lives half his. life iii foreign countries, ; I say there is nothing to compare for one moment with Che British sevcnpenhy'book : in any, other part of the world. Its influence -in educating as well as " amusing the public must be incalculable. If in the' cours© of time the British public is not the most. widely read public in the world, it will not be the; fault 'of British publishers and booksellers, who are giving them :, the masterpieces of literature ; beautiiully printed arid bound, each at the price ok a glass of brandy. But all this has its serious economic aspect for authors, publishers, and booksellers. The sevenpenny ; book is not an article of commerce which. ' can stand by itself and give a living wage to everybody concerned in producing it- ' The authors cannot live; by the y sevenpenny book-alone, the publishers- cannot live by'the sevenpenny book alone,- the printers cannot live 'by the sevenpenny book alone, the bookbinders cannot live, by the sevenpenny book alone, and I ask i you, without much doubt of your answer, if the booksellers can live , by. the; a*venpeany ( book alone. .You cannot. This ovsau&that; if 'every book were a eeveapenny box* the trades "of author, publisher, bookseller, printer, and binder would come, to an untimely end. If you ask me as an author," continued Mr' . Hall C;ii no, "whoso opinio» of my books I would rather irst my, fortunes upon, yours or your wives', I tell you frankly it is the opinion of your: wives. If-you want to know ; what the great wide public is going to say. about a book (especially a novel),, try it on a woman, on as in?ny women as you can get a hold of. I do. I always have'done. And when have had success, it has' been from women that the first fruit *4 it has come to me. 'This reminds. me of the censorship of the booksellers. Personally am not afraid of that. -I am not afraid tiiat booksellers as a whole will 'try,; against their material interests, to force on j the public what- the public does not. want; Or (within limits of ; healthy mcsality); to keep from the public'' wliat J the -public does Want. Don't try to please ;• everybody.. Never 'since the ■ day of the . old:.-. man and , his as?, ant thai Is a kmgtime as>, lias anybody ever succeeded in' doing so. But m this matter, too, I am willing to rest my own claims on the reading of tbe wives and daughters." ■' ...'-n ,! ';..'';•-"> :'-