fia from Venezuela, started northward to attend the annual Scout Jamboree in the United States. He got through, but only in time for the Jamboree of the year following that contemplated. Then in 1939 and subsequently the inevitable eagerness of certain hardy motorists to become the first to make the journey overland led to a group of most laudable efforts to cover the ground and describe the conditions encountered. In 1939 Herbert A. Lanks and Harry A. Franck went through Central America. In 1940 Mrs. Constance J. Henley made the trip northward from southern Argentina to Washington. In 1941 Lanks and Pleiss went from Caracas to Magallanes in southern Patagonia, and about the same time Sullivan Richardson with two companions enIdeavored to cover the entire route from the United States to Cape Horn and nearly succeeded. That same year a group of motorists, sponsored by the Argentine Automobile Club, made a trip from Buenos Aires to Caracas in an astonishingly short time and reported conditions with details of interest to the motorist. All of these efforts and . innumerable inquiries regarding the feasibility of going to South America or traveling from South America to the United States and Mexico by highway disclose the growing interest in every country in the opening of a through route suitable for general travel and for tourist activities.

Active construction according to preestablished programs had been gaining momentum in Mexico, Chile, Peru, and Argentina. On July 4, 1936, the Mexican Government had a formal opening of the 764-mile section from Mexico City to the Rio Grande. This incident in celebration of the connection accomplished between the Mexican capital and the entire highway system of the United States served to demonstrate several important conditions. The Mexican administration had become thoroughly road-minded. The engineering organization of the Mexi

can Highway Department had demonstrated its complete competence to handle a most difficult location problem in a long mountain section, and its construction force had shown a drive and persistency that promised well for the future. In Chile important connections around Santiago had been advanced or completed the roads to Valparaíso, to San Antonio, and up the coast to Quintero.

In Argentina the route from Buenos Aires to Córdoba was pushed to completion in 1937 as the longest continuous piece of concrete pavement in South America, 574 miles long, and construction was advanced on a number of other important main highways. Peru, adopting asphalt construction as naturally indicated by the presence of a large refined oil production, extended the coast road step by step north and south of Lima and inland to Oroya, ascending the face of the Andes through the intricate line of the Infiernillo.

Meanwhile, government agencies were distinctly active in continuing international plans for concluding an initial trunk line highway which should be the central stem from which branches could be extended in every country to constitute national integrated highway systems.

At the Inter-American Conference for the Maintenance of the Peace, held at Buenos Aires at the end of 1936, a convention on the Pan American Highway was signed and later ratified by the interested countries, including the United States, and subsequent governmental action in practically all of the countries has been predicated on the general commitments contained in this convention.

The inevitable repercussions of the outbreak of World War II encouraged rather than retarded activities. In 1939 and 1940 an augmented interest occurred all along the line, which had its greatest exemplification in action by the Congress of the United States in December 1941, when funds to

=the extent of $20,000,000 were authorized

to aid the countries of Central America and 1 Panama in constructing the section of the highway from the southern frontier of Mexico to the Panama Canal. The United States government offered to pay two-thirds. of the cost, provided each of the other countries would pay its appropriate third. With the entrance of the United States as a belligerent and the emergence of the United Nations, the work of closing gaps across unconstructed sections in Central America was speeded up in the face of extraordinary difficulties, and road programs were tended so far as war conditions permitted in practically all of the countries, especially in Brazil, Bolivia, Venezuela, Peru, and Chile.

In a brief account like this of the road movement in Latin America during the last

quarter century there is no place for comparative statistics, but a résumé of present conditions and prospects will serve to place the period where it should stand in the history of road building in Latin America.

To the close of World War I it is apparent that little or no national road building of consequence along modern lines had been accomplished, and highway construction to fixed line and profile in accordance with predetermined standards, with adequate drainage and surfaces suitable for modern traffic, has been confined largely to the period since about 1920.

Neglecting then the large mileage of new roads which have been opened, the common dirt roads, and those surfaced only with selected or temporary materials and considering only those classifications which represent

construction in accordance with modern engineering and building techniques, we find that very substantial progress has been made.

In Mexico, Central America, and Panama, the principal route, called the Inter-American Highway, is 47 percent paved and has 930 miles, representing another 28 percent, in condition for all-weather traffic-much of it ready for the final wearing course of bituminous or concrete type. Practically all major bridges are completed and in addition, especially in Mexico, a large mileage of other principal and tributary roads has been built and a considerable part paved.

In Colombia systems of national and departmental highways have been designated and reports indicate 725 miles of pavement and 8,250 miles of all-weather road.

Brazil has projected a magnificent system of construction for the future and in a remarkably brief period has built 263 miles of pavement and over 2,500 miles of allweather road. All of this construction is of course in addition to the paved streets of cities and towns. Similarly, rural paved highways in Argentina aggregate over 2,100 miles.

Ecuador has 48 miles of paved road and 455 miles of all-weather road.

Paraguay, among the last to begin active operations, has 120 miles of paved and nearly 150 miles of all-weather road. Peru, actively pushing a road program, has close to 1,200 miles of rural highways paved.

The general status of highway improvement throughout Latin America is perhaps as well indicated by results obtained on the Pan American Highway system as by any other simple index. The last reports available indicate the following conditions respectively on the Inter-American Highway

This system of connected roads does not stand isolated in any single country but represents a principal highway around which in practically every country substantial advances toward a highway system have been made. Especially in El Salvador, Peru, and Argentina, there has been outstanding progress in extending lateral and tributary paved and all-weather roads in addition to the work done on the principal routes of the Pan American Highway system, and in these countries the development of connected highway systems has far passed the initial stage. In thus creating national highway systems with regular programs of construction on which a considerable mileage has in practically every country been substantially completed, the road construction done by the American republics represents the most commendable and praiseworthy result of a single quarter century of activities.

"I cannot let this opportunity pass without a word of appreciation of Dr. Rowe's quarter century of outstanding service as Director General of the Pan American Union.

"Dr. Rowe's contribution to the cause of inter-American friendship and understanding is deserving of the highest honors, His belief in the ideals of Pan Americanism, his qualities of statesmanship and leadership and his ability to overcome obstacles to unity and cooperation among the twentyone American republics have been of major importance in preparing the way for hemispheric solidarity.”

This was the message sent by President Truman to be read at the dinner given in honor of Dr. L. S. Rowe's silver anniversary as Director General of the Pan American Union by the Pan American Society of the United States and twenty-three associated organizations. The brilliant scene was the grand ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria in New York, where six hundred persons had assembled Latin American diplomats and consuls general, representatives of the Department of State, men and women prominent in cultural and business relations between the Americas.

The Very Reverend Robert I. Gannon, S.J., President of Fordham University, offered the invocation before the dinner, saying:

Almighty and Eternal God, look down tonight with favor on one of Thy servants who has spent three quarters of a century in Thy service, more than half a century in the interests of peace, and a quarter of a century in the direction of a great social instrument for better understanding. lawyer who can see that peace is the work of justice, a student of political science who under

A

stands that the welfare of his country depends upon the unity of the New World, he has devoted more than forty years to the great mission of seeing that justice was done in Latin America. Bless him and us, his friends, and these Thy gifts which we are about to receive from Thy bounty through Christ, Our Lord, Amen.

At the close of the dinner Mr. Frederick E. Hasler, who, as president of the Pan American Society, was presiding, rose to speak. He said:

When in London this summer I visited the exhibition of the Royal Academy in Burlington House. Glancing through the catalogue, I noticed on the first page a quotation from our own William James, which said, "The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it." How true that is, I thought, as I wandered through the galleries. These beautiful works of art will unquestionably outlast the people who are now admiring them. In the course of time, however, this artistry too will crumble to dust just as surely as did many of the stately buildings surrounding the exhibition hall when they were leveled by enemy bombs.

A life devoted to useful living, such as that of our friend, Dr. Leo S. Rowe, however, has a permanence which nothing can destroy-neither time nor even atomic bombs. Tonight we are gathered here-Ambassadors, Ministers, Consuls General, representatives of the State, Church and University, leaders of industry and the professions-to do honor and give thanks to Almighty God for the accomplishments in the life work of Dr. Rowe. For many years the words "Pan Americanism" represented only a lofty, intangible ideal, a hemisphere relationship devoutly to be wished for, but generally regarded as too Utopian ever to be turned into useful channels. It was an inspiring theme for orators and writers, but in the opinion of the public it was visionary and impractical.

With the birth of the Pan American Union in 1890, the first concrete steps were initiated to take Pan Americanism out of the dream stage in which it had been conceived as a continental policy by

DINNER OF THE PAN AMERICAN SOCIETY AND ASSOCIATED ORGANIZATIONS FOR THE DIRECTOR GENERAL OF THE PAN AMERICAN UNION

This demonstration in honor of Dr. L. S. Rowe on his silver anniversary as Director General took place at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York.

Simon Bolívar and, so to speak, bring it down to earth.

It was twenty-five years ago this month that Dr. Rowe, after having successfully filled many governmental posts in connection with Latin American affairs, became Director General of the Pan American Union. That marked the real beginning of the transformation of Pan Americanism from a purely oratorical ideal into a living, vital force for hemisphere security and progress.

Under Dr. Rowe's inspiring leadership, the Union has become an institution of world-wide importance, transcending the expectations of its most optimistic founders. Its powerful influence for peace has enabled the American nations to demonstrate to the rest of the world that it is possible for countries of different origins and speech to live together in amity and mutual helpfulness. And I might add that recent developments in science have made it a matter of self-preservation for the rest of the world to follow our example.

Among the hosts at this dinner, we of the Pan American Society have a special niche in our hearts for the man we honor tonight a place we hold sacred for old friends for whom we have high esteem and deep affection. He is one of the founder members of our Society and was a member of our first Executive Committee. He is now one of our Honorary Presidents and one of that eminent group we refer to almost with reverence as the "Elder Statesmen" of the Society. He is a fountainhead of inspiration and guidance to us.

As Director General of the Pan American Union, Dr. Rowe prepared the soil and planted the seed from which grew the real "good neighbor" policy that insured the military and economic security of the Americas. It sped victory by giving the United Nations a never-failing source of vital raw materials. No one will question that the solidarity of the Americas, thus achieved, has been a most important factor in laying the foundation for a world of lasting peace. It was the "spade work" done by Dr. Rowe which made all this possible.

Latin American appreciation of Dr. Rowe's labors is attested by the many decorations which our

Courtesy of I. B. M.

sister republics have been proud to confer on him. I regret that time will not permit me to name all the distinguished orders he has received from the Governments of Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Panama, and Venezuela.

Speaking of decorations, many of you will recall that in 1940 our Society awarded its gold insignia to Dr. Rowe. I had the honor of making the presentation in the lovely patio of the stately Pan American Union building in Washington. I should like to repeat here part of what I said at that time:

"During your long administration, your unfailing courage and steadfastness of purpose, strengthened by sublime belief in the ideals which brought the Union into being, have overcome the inevitable disappointments that always block the path of the unselfish public servant and statesman. Not once did you falter in your determination to accomplish what skeptics thought impossible-the welding together in bonds of sincere friendship of the governments and peoples of the Western Hemisphere for the common good.

"The respect and esteem in which you are held by your fellow directors and all who know you come of no momentary enthusiasm for a deed accomplished and soon forgotten; they are born of a recognition that in you rest those qualities that stand for the greatest asset of mankind—character