The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-05

liability bill was also adopted. as was d resolution commenting the making of Saturdays a half holiday in Alabama.
 Croft Talks.
 John Creft. preident of the Mobile Commercial club, in responding for the committee on good roads, said in part: "One of the pioneers in the good roads movement in Alabama was the late Jeff FallIner of Montgomery, who according to his means and busy times contributed liberally to the good roads movement in Alabama, and the present syetem of roads in Montgomery county are monuments to this good man.
 ''The cause of goods roads in Alabama has lost another strong advocate by the death of Charles P. Lane of Huntsville, who also contributed in every way in his power to better road conditions.
 "I wish to call your attention to the slipshod, unbusinesslike system that is now in vogue in our state for the build ing of roads. AS an illustration of this we spending in cash and labor in the neighborhood of $1,800,0J0 per year, and for that great sum of money and labor there is not mile of what Is known as permanently constructed road built each year. This illustrates the necessity of a practical method for the reconstruction of the much neglected bottomless mud roads, which exist in nearly all parts of the state.
 We have heard so much lately, and especially during the recent state cam paign of the tax on the people-especi- ally the poor farmer-by the railroads with excessive charges. This was pro claimed from every housetop and in the valleys, and was made the issue. If 1t Is a fact that the railroad charges are. and have been, excessive then say to this convention and the people of Alabama that the neglected dirt roads are costing the people an amount equal to thirty times such a tax and l think that the platform on which the present adminis- traton was elected contained a plank in favor of good roads.
 .The Alabama Good Roads association. assembled in Birmingham shortly after the election of governor and legisla- ture, with delegates from forty-four cOun- ties, defeated a good roads bill which was in keeping with the demands of the people on the subject, which bill pro vided that highway commission be named by the governor, and that this commission should be empowered to pro- vide engineers of skill and ability to for mulate and supervise the construction of public roads by business bethods. The bill also carried with 1t a clause which provided that the earnings of state con victs be equally divided between the sxty-six counties of the state for good roads purposes.
 "The good roads committee appeared before the legislative committee on com merce and common carriers and were told by that committee that such measure as that proposed would be unconstitutional. I then urged that, if this was a fact, it was the duty of the members of the com mittee, as legislators, to take steps to so amend the constitution that such a law could be passed. and allow the proposed amendment to be submitted to the people for their ratification.
 up to this time no effort has been made by Governor Conner or the legisla- ture, which was elected on the promise to give relief from transportation burdens, to enact such laws as will materially im- prove the condition of the public roads, though bad roads is one of the greatest transportation burdens which the people of Alabama have to bear
 "To illustrate, the tax of hauling three commodities over bad roads in Alabama, it is estimated that the extra cost of hauling the 200,0o0 bals of cotton, last years crop, above what would have been the cost of hauling over good roads, Was 34 cents per bale which makes a total loss of over $400, 600 for one year. The cot ton seed grown in Alabama amounts to 5OO 900 tons each year and the extra cost of hauling these over bad roads to market is estimated at sl50 per ton, or a total of s75O,0oO, which is a loss to the farmers. The fertilizer used in Alabama to make the average crop is about 4oo,oOo tons per year. and the loss on each ton houed over our bad roads is S1 50 per ton, which rep resents a total of sD0,0o0, which would be saved by a complete system of good roads
 "These are few of the many examples which show how the people are taxed on account of bad roads, and I charge that ,ho ,rasapt administration should carry out it's promises to make the burdens of transportation lighter. and relieve the peo- ple of the beaviest tax they have to pay the bad roads tax