WITH the gradual arrival of the motor car on the scene, Britain of a century ago was beginning to worry whether the nation's roads were sufficient for the new mode of transport after coping for centuries with only actual horse power.

"Crowquill", in his Journal Jottings for this week of 1903, gave an indication of the growing concerns:

"For once one of our Government departments is actually in advance of the times, for an official inquiry has been made into the condition and adequacy of English main roads for the purposes of through traffic.

"Save for touring motor cars, the sufficiency of through routes has scarcely been called in question, and even in their case, there is little cause for complaint.

However, the committee, appointed by the president of the Local Government Board, is looking to the future rather than the present, and is making allowance for the coming of much busier times on our roads.

"It is a fact, of course, that the provision of new roads or the widening of old roads has not kept pace with the growth of population, and now that the value of our great highways is being more and more realised, we may soon have to grasp the nettle of upgrading our highway network on a significant scale."