The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-10-15

her people, her public men, and her press are taking in the question. It means so much to the south, in every channel of her industrial, agricultural and social activity: 1t bears so closely upon the character of her homes, upon her educational and moral advance. Il is the one question which to my mind is most important of all that the people are now called upon to consider.
 Progress of the Roads Movement.
 For a decade and more there has been agitation in the country for good roads, associations. national, state, district and county, have been educating the people to the importance of improved highways; the bureau of good roads of the national government has gradually extended its work of investigations and popular dem- onstrations, commercial bodies have joined in pushing the question, the press has done it's part. Now and then a coun- ty more progressive or more alive to the question than others has placed itself in the van of the movement by building highways which have a right to be called good roads, better laws have been en- acted, state supervision has been estab- lished in several states, some of the southern states have rightly provided that all convicts should work on roads or In the preparation of road material, in every way there has been marked progress. To- day, it seems to me, the south is so much alive to the importance of the ques- tion that a very general and most effective era of rouo-buiding is under way. It is not yet time to cease the agitation. not yet time to conclude that the movement has been carried to a successful settle ment and the workers in It need only to await the further action of your lawmak- CTS and the decision of the people of diff ferent communities to build the roads they want. A great amount of education as to the importance of good roads, as to their value to the community and the individual still must be carried out.
 The Meaning of Good Roads.
 of the people really understood what good roads would do for them, there would need to be few more good roads conventions No one address can cover all the various phases of the roads ques- tions, nor even enumerate the effects system of improved roads would have upon the country and upon each separate community, the influence of proper high ways is so far-reaching. In my work interest in good roads has largely been from development standpoint. Of all the things which affect the development of the country the building of good roads means the most. Such roads will open llp new districts. make accessible every section of our territory, bring about bet ter methods of farming, add to the value of farm and other lands, lead to the rapid doubling and quadrupling of the annual value of our agricultural prod nets. with the increased demand for man ufacturers which such an addition to our farm products would create vastly increase the traffic of the rail and water transportation systems, build towns and cities, addd to the health of every com munity, and, believe, make it's distri- button more even, affect for the better every condition of our life.
 You know something of the interest railway men have taken in the question of good roads. Railway men are neces- sarily students of all transportation sub