The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-09-02
JEMISONS BACK
 FROM MOTOR TOUR Robert Jemison, Jr., Talks of New England Roads MODELS FOR THE SOUTH Says Millions of Dollars Are Being Spent on Highways and Points Out
 Need for Great Highway
 to the East
MODELS FOR THE SOUTH


 mingham after a vacation of six weeks spent in the east. Mrs. Robert Jemison, Jr., who was in the party, will return home little later. The Jemisons first visited Atlantic City and from there they toured New York state and New England in an automobile.
 We made 3540 miles in an auto car from Atlantic City to the Berkshire hills and back-and it was a most delightful tour." said Mr Jemison, Jr. We tra- versed nearly all of New England. and the roads everywhere were in fine con dition
 New England is as all know, great tourist country. Outside of Boston and few other cities the inhabitants are now supported chiefly by tourist busi- ness. This business is immense and it is made possible only by the excellent roads and the prevailing fashion of automo- billing Boston benefits abundantly by this like a dead town in midsummer Its hotels were all empty. But now that city is thronged throughout the heated term by visitors stopping over en route to and from the Berkshires
 Good road building on an extensive scale was begun in Massachusetts only about five years ago. but today one can go in any direction on a splendid macad- am highway. And as numerous as the new roads are the work of road making still goes on. Massachusetts is spending this year millions of dollars on road ex- tension.
 One of the many pleasant features of touring In auto cars through New Eng land is the large number and the excel lence of the wayside inns No matter whether you are in Massachusetts, New Hampshire or Vermont, and no matter at what hour of the day or night you wish to stop for meals or lodging, there stands the hostelry waiting for you. And such clean little inns The meals are well served and the beds are all that could be desired.
 T saw very little building in progress in New England that is to say, very little house building. In and around Bir- mingham one sees more buildings in course of construction than might be found along Massachusetts entire tourist route. All the development and better ments in New England seem to be in good roads; and that section can well afford it. The tourist travel much more than pays for 1t.
 Now the more I saw of the roads and the tourists, the more was this thought impressed on me: If New England, with nothing but scenery and ozone to at tract in summer, can afford to expend millions on roadbuilding. why would it not pay the south, offering solid attrac- tions to the investor, as we'll as scenic attractions to the lovers of the beauti- full to build f1rst-class macadam high ways, on a scale commensurate with the rapidly-growing tourist travel of the country?
 "One can ride in an automobile from Atlantic City all the way up to Maine without striking a single piece of rough road The highways through rural dis tricts are just like high-class streets in high-class cities.
 How is it between Birmingham or At lanta and Washington? Well, practically nothing has been done. There has been a lot of talk and that is about all.
 Any man who attempts to go in an auto car from Atlanta to Washington would have many 'breakdowns,' and Swould be a long time in reaching his destination.
 
 What we need above all things Is first-class tourist highways between here and the north and east. The counties and the states should take the matter up in earnest and cooperate until the south is as well off in roads as Is the east With such conditions in this part of the country Georgia. Alabama and Florida would be full of rich tourists in winter, and these tourists would not only enjoy the winter climate but many of them would become interested In our won- derful resources and invest capital here
 '.It would be well for Jefferson county and other counties in Alabama to send some of their commissioners to New Eng land just to see how much is being done in roadbuilding there and what abundant returns the investment yields; and com pare that grand work with the south $ slow progress in the same direction"