Los Angeles herald., 1910-12-18
HIGHWAY IMPROVEMENT
OF GENERAL BENEFIT
Work of American Automobile
Association on Roads
Is Not Selfish

"At the beginning of the recent an.
! nual assembly," said President Robert
| j. Hooper of the American Automobile
association, the usual questions were
asked by delegates as to what rea
work was being accomplished by the
! National Organization of Automobil-
lists. Before the meeting was half over
these queries had been fully answered
| by reports. Furthermore, not a single
! delegate remained who did not realize
! that anyone who hereafter asks the
question of what he gets out of the
A. A, A. will only ask it because he
really is not looking after his own in
terests and does not appreciate what
is actually being done for him.
Those who have followed the work
of the good roads board will easily
recognize the fact that while good
roads are valuable to automobilists
the work carried on by the American
Automobile association is not selfish
work. because highway improvement
| benefits every man with property sit
uated on a good road. Our farming
districts are benefiting most of all, as
is made apparent by the fact that the
farmers themselves now own automo-
biles and use them for both business
and pleasure. They likewise are con
vinced that this work is being carried
on for their interest as well as for
other road users.
There is no doubt that all organiza-
tions in the United States working for
good roads should cooperate, and with
the tremendous strength that the
American Automobile association has
gradually been accumulating it is in
an excellent position to figure prom
inently in this work and to carry ii
forward. Newer associations must of
necessity, spend a great deal of energy
In perfecting their structures before
they can actually turn their attention
to the roads problem itself. The A. A.
A. is firmly established in many states
and therefore naturally we are in the
best position to accomplish much work.
1t will be our policy to cooperate with
every good roads organization in the
United States, but we must be leaders
and not followers in this movement.
mo comments are needed regarding
the efficient work carried on by our
legislative board. In my opinion the
fact that nearly all states have adopted
the reciprocity clause Is due in great
degree to the active work accomplished
in Washington in connection with the
proposed federal registration law. The
aid which this board gives to individual
states in drawing up their automobile
laws is invaluable, and it will continue
to be so until the time when we will
have sufficient uniformity of state au-
tomobile laws to enable every driver
of car to know just what he may
expect when touring through the diff
ferent states.
1.-THE policy inaugurated at national
headquarters for collecting and dissem-
mating touring information to our
members, entirely free of cost, will be
continued to a greater extent than ever
before. Our members do not all appre-
ciate the enormous amount of work
the touring information board is do
ing, and particularly that we are Civ
ing this national touring information
entirely without charge. We are now
assured of the active cooperation of
all our affiliated clubs to help in this
movement by supplying every bit OF
touring information they can obtain
from their districts, which is then for
warded to the national clearing house
and thus made available to all mem
bers."