The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-03
MOTOR CLUB WORKS FUR BETTER ROADS Congressman Underwood Pre- SentS Interesting Figures WILL BUILD CLUB HOUSE Club Seeks to Secure General Election On issuance of s2o 1000, 900 Bonds
 to Build System of
 State Roads.
WILL BUILD CLUB HOUSE

At a rousing and enthusiastic meeting Of the Birmingham Motor club, held in the rooms of the Commercial club last night. at which there were speeches by Congressman Underwood and other prom inent citizens campaign for good roads was reopened with renewed vgor. The prime action of the meeting was to ap- point a committee whose duty it shall be to push d bill through the present legis- lature which shall submit to the people at the general election d vote on the issuance of S20.OOO,000 in state bonds to build sys- tenn of state roads.
 The proposition, as made by J. A. Roun- tree and concurred in by a number of prominent legislators, is to construct state road from the Tennessee line to tho gulf and connecting roads from every county in Alabama. The meeting last night was but the beginning of fight for state appropriation which shall be for warded by organizations of all kinds throughout the state
 This committee of the Motor club is com posed of R. S. Munger, R. w. Massey, Lee Bradley and James E. Dedman who intend to get busy on the matter at once,
 Will Build a Club House.
 Other than the address of Congressman l Underwood the matter of most interest to l the club was the decision, locating the proposed Motor club house and authorz- ing committee to proceed with building i arrangements A free lease for ten years ] has been accepted from the Birmingham l Realty company for a piece of land on i the Mount Pnson road, north of the city about five miles.
 1 After a few brief Introductory remarks l by President R. s. Munger, MT. Under wood began by stating that he would use i figures to appeal to men of the class which was before him. He quoted through 1 out from statistics carefully complied by l the United States agricultural department, and it was wonderful how easily he held l the attention of his audience by simple discussion of matters which seemed com- plcated,
 Among other things he called attention to the 200000 miles of road which the post office department uses to carry its rural mails and yet the government does not do single thing to maintain them He said that by lack of method and organiza- tion SSO.000 eco Is vitually thrown away, which if concentrated in the hands of local men under government authority would put system of good roads all over the country.
 Cites Many illustrations.
 With many illustrations he showed the advantage of the macadamized road over the loose dirt road. It costs five times as much to haul blishel of wheat five miles to q railroad in Illinois as to haul it after l a. ( t1ai1p In n N. Y. It costs five times as much to haul ton of tobacco eight miles to the railroad in Virginia as to haul it 4OO miles afterWard to the market in Richmond. He showed how good roads would save $l7O000,090 year, as being the difference between dirt roads and macadamized roads, and that few years of that would build good roads all over the country.
 Mir Underwood then devoted his time entirely to the advantages of macadamized roads( showing that first it would reduce the present cost in the United States to haul a ton one mile from 30 cents to 10 cents, as at present it Is in England and Germany. The average southern farmer would save $l.S0 per ton on the haul to the railroads in one year, and the south would save 4,00O,000 in the transportation of the cotton crop alone.
 In emphasizing the necessity to put macadamized roads in every neighborhood he said that the south carries smaller - loads to the mile than in any other sec ton of the country. When the Amerl- can farmer goes 10 compete with the Tor eign farmer the biggest expense which he has to go up against is transportation not on steamboats but from his farm to the railroads, and this has to be taken out of the pockets of the people here, be- fore the product can enter the foreign markets at the low price
 Saving to Farmers.
 lis figures showed that twenty pounds will move ton on street ear track, 25 bounds will move a ton on asphalt, 5o 10 50 pounds will move ton on macadam- ized roads, while 1t takes 300 pounds to move a ton on a soft dirt road, illustrat- ing the saving on horses and difference in the size of the load where conditions are proper
 "The thing to do is to get the farmer ot Alabama aroused to the fact that mo- where can he find more return on the money invested than in good roads.
 In closing he laid the greatest responsi- Dility on the United States government m that it has direct grant of power to build post roads well as the precedent of early administrations in the countrys history which did build national roads "'rhe thing necessary is to arouse public sentiment so as to force congress to build public roads. As soon as you get one road, the congressman everywhere VIII demand roads for their districts.
 We are a great country, surpassing all other nations in many ways yet the only countries above whom we stand in the matter of roads are poor Turkey and de- graded Russia which ought to bring shame to every patriot until we bun and develop our countrys roads as they deserve"
 Many Others Speak.
 The next speaker was W. M. Drennen, a member of the Good Roads association, who told of the work of that organizd- tion and of the bill which seems to be pigeon-holed by the legislature seeking funds for good roads
 Hugh McGeever of the county board of revenue made a talk, speaking of tho 1900 miles of roads in Jefferson, with it's aDO miles of macadamized roads, and de- scribing how the various road funds are spent.
 Commissioner Job Going also made. few remarks, calling attention to the need of a county engineer to direct the work of the road supervisor in the county, and among others who spoke along the same line were Solon Jacobs. Dr. Dedman. Da- vid J. Fox, R. w. Massey and J. A. Roun- tree
 THREE TRAINMEN KILLED.
 t-A