The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1909-12-03
BIG CONVENTION
WILL Be CALLED
Governor William SpFy viii
Arrange for Monster Good
Roads Meeting.
NOTED SPEAKER COMING
REPRESENTATIVES FROM MANY
STATES ARE EXPECTED.

A call viii be issued today by Governor
William Spry, president of the Utah Good
Roads association, for the biggest good
roads convention ever held in the west.
Commercial bodies, automobile clubs, en-
gineers and road commissioners from an
the surrounding states viii be asked TO
attend, and Utahs interest VIII stretch
into every city, town and hamlet. The
convention is to take place In Salt Lake
1t viii be during the first week IN Janu-
airy, and IT is expected that at least a
thousand men interested in good roads
The convention project was inspired at
the recent good roads convention Wnlch
took place at Columbus, o., October - 70
29 the most elaborate Of its kind ever helu
in the United States. Practically every
state in the east and the middle west was
represented. But Utah alone represented
the intermOuntain states. This won her
the recognition Of genuine interest in good
roads with all of the states which are AT
present spending millions of dollars IN
the imprOvemen Of their public nigh
ways
When the call was issued to all the gov
errors of the various states Of the mOh'
Governor Spry decided to have Utah rep
resented But finding it impossible TO
personally attend or TO send his state en-
gineer, Robert Shelton Of this city, editor
of the Good Roads Automobiles, was
chosen as the official representative.
Much Interest Shown.
Mr.. SHELTON saws that representatives Of
the eastern and middle states were much
concerned in the interest shown in good
roads movements Of the Rocky mountain
and intermountain states, and tlndlng
that Utah alone had sent delegate, rose
in praise of this community and expressed
hope that Utah could lead in the cam
paign for the creation Of really live inter
est.
When had presented my credentials,
says Mr.. Shelton, who has just returned
from the convention and subsequent
tour of states where the good roads move
ment Is at its height there We're cneers
for Utah and cries Of Speech! Speecn-
from the other delegates. And diu my
best to explain that Utah has shown m
terest in good roads from the very ursI
pointing out that it had been an eccie-
siastic obligation, an influence when lau
not only been instrumental in the build
ing of good roads in Utah, but IN many
of the states Immediately east,
One of the really live spirits OF the con-
ventiOn which is TO take place in TINS
city viii be Logan Waller Pagel director
Of the United States department or asIl-
culture who is recognized all over Ine
country as authority on good roads- hAI.
Shelton says that he proved the most
valuable asset to the Columbus conyen-
ton and that Immediately after its close
there were more than 200 calls, asking
him to deliver addresses on good ROADS
before various good roads societies
Address Is Convincing.
With but few exceptions, however,
he declined. But the spirit OF the gOoG
roads movement in Utah interested
him. The address of Mir. Shelton con-
WINGED him that Utah was the pest
place to start the movement Tor good
roads in the inter-mountain states OF
the West and in letter which mas
just been received by Mr. Skelton' tne
famous road expert says thaJ ne VIII
be in Salt Lake January 3, prepared
to address such as are interested IN
good roads In this part OF the country 7.
This information viii greatly assist
in the call of the roads convention.
Mr. Page is known as the leading
light i'm all phases or GOOD ROADS ana
his name will attract engineers from
far and near. When the convention
is over. Mr. Page will make a STUDY
of Utah highways, atterWard lnteho-
ing to draw up extensive data on WHAT
they need in the way Of Improvement.
The Utah Good Roads association
of which Governor Spry is president
will first interest the various CONNER
cial bodies of the city in the proposed
convention. The automobile club Is al
ready interested in the movement.
County engineers from Utah, Idaho
and Wyoming will be invited TO at
tend Invitations will be extended to
all road commissioners and then COM
mercial bodies of all the adjoining
states will be asked to be represented
bv delegates, while the news Of the
big goods roads convention is expect
ed to spread all over the West. drawing
hundreds of people to this city.
Will Have Exhibits.
1t is the intention Of those who will
be in charge Of the convention to bring
to the convention exhibits of the ma
teriaI common to Utah and invaluable
in the Improvement of roads, including
copper Stag and the various minerals
and hard and soft stone, which abound
in the state Mr.. Page is interested in
the copper Stag treatment of road
and at his request thirty pounds of the
substance has been expressed TO him.
together with other material, by Mr.
SHELTON. He viii place them under a
thorough test, make a study of them
and then be prepared to give extensive
views upon their merits when ne ad-
dressed the convention in salt Lake.
The recent law relating to the state
road commission. adopted in Utah, says
at the Columbus convention. This will
be brought into clear understanding
10 all who attend the Salt Lake con-
vention.
At the close Of the Columbus con-
ventiOn Mr.. Shelton, at his own eN-
pense, travelled through practically all
of the Middle and Middle Western
states investigating the. good roads
movement, studying machinery used
and the methods employed in the build
{r o. If roads nv modern road builders