Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-04-23
GOOD ROADS WILL
F. Be THEIR THEME
JOHN H. BROOD VISITS ATLANTA
TO AROSE INTEREST IN SES~
SION OF NATIONAL ROAD AS
ISOLATION, AT ST. AUGUSTINE.

Pronounced interest through this sec
ton of the south has been awakened in
the first annual convention of the Nation
al Road association in St. Augustine
next January, by John II. Broad, editor
and owner of the Morrisville On. ",
Leader, who leaves Atlanta Thursday at
ter a stay of two days here in the inter-
ests of the convention, and who has been
touring the country for three weeks just
past TO lay the importance Of the Janu-
airy convention before as many good roads
advocates as ne was able to reach.
Last February the National Good ROAD
association was organized and incorpora-
ted in st. Augustine and John A. Stew
art, a prominent New York business man,
was elected president. It's whole corps
OF, officers was chosen from among the
most successful men of business in the
entire country-men who see the import
ance of good highways to the country's
future and who are interested in the
mammoth movement.
In January the association holds its
first convention. At that convention will
be centralized and localized all the eff
fort for good roads. Delegates to the
convention will represent practically
every commercial body, good roads organ
ization and automobile club in the Uni
ted States. Editor Broads purpose in
the south is to call the convention to
mind. The result of his work here will be
shown by the large number of delegates
that the south will send. In Atlanta he
has consulted with the officials of the
chamber of commerce ana of the Fulton
County Automobile club and the board
of county commissioners. He has tried
to cover the same field in number of
other important cities of the south.
Associations Object
While the object of the association is to
awaken the country generally to the pos
sibilties of good highways by the dis
tribution of literature aPd other methods
of publicity, President Stewart has struck
a definite note by going to Washington
and gathering together all those interests
that during the past several years have
struggled to enlist national aid for main
trunk highways in different parts of the
United States. 1t is not generally known
that some six or seven bills for such
highways have been introduced in con-
gress during the past few years, but their
work was all at cross purposes and moth
ing has come of any of them so far.
The proposed Atlanta-to- Washington
highway, which has stirred the Atlantic
seaboard with its possibilities, is to be
classed among such efforts, says Editor
Broad. Some day they will all come to
fruitiOn; but the work will have to be
association.
A system of trunk highways covering
the whole country, says Editor Broad, is
a thing of the future toward which the
association is aiming. Those trunk high
ways will call for the construction by To-
cal interests of smaller roads connecting
with them. The beginning Of their con-
structon will mark an epoch in the ma
tons history.
A Business Appeal
The national association has other
points, says Editor Broad, which the
whole force of organization will be needed
to drive home. One of these is the pure
ly business appeal to the national treas
ury that rural mail carriers, the govern
ment's own servants, traverse today prac-
tieally every mile of road in the entire
country, the average distance for each
carrier being 10 miles per day on dirt
roads and q miles on macadam roads. 1t
is to- the interest of the federal postal
service, the association will urge, that
good roads be recognized and encouraged
by the national government.
Another point is that If II ever becomes
necessary to move large bodies of troops
through the territories untraversed by
railways, the war Department. operations
would be considerably embarrassed by
poor roads.
In short, says Editor Broad, the aims
of the National Road association are suf-
ficiently big to warrant the presence at
st. Augustine next January of delegates
from every public-spirited organization in
the whole country. The future work Of the
association and the methods for doing
II will be fully discussed at that conven-
ton.