AMERICAN ROADS.

Southland Times, Issue 19590, 11 August 1922, Page 7

AMERICAN ROADS.

The secretary of the Royal Automobile Club of Great Britain (Sir Julian Orde) returned to England last Maj’ after an extended visit to America, more especially to California. In that State, he says, there are more than 700,000 motorists, and it is quite the exception to see a horse op l the roads. The principal main road is the State thoroughfare from Santiago to San Francisco, which throughout its length of some 2000 miles has an asphalt surface with sections of concrete. The highway is being extended into adjoining States. Speaking generally of the roads of South California, Sir Julian Orde states that the main highways are surfaced as a rule with asphalt, concrete, or a species of macadam with crude oil forced into it. So good are they that a tyre mileage of 16,000 to 20.000 is by no means exceptional. In the matter of road finance, half the cost of the State highways is found by the Federal Government, and the remaining half jointly in equal parts by the State and the counties through which the roads run. The South California Automobile Club has a membership of 60,000.