The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-10-15
GOOD ROADS MEN
 LEAVE FOR HOME Final Sessions Held At the
 Fair Grounds JACKSON MAKES TALK President of National Association Ar rived From Little Rock Yesterday Morning-Convention Has
 Been Great Success
MAKES TALK

what IS expected 10 De lne 1loSt lruil- full convention ever held by the Ala bama Good Roads association was ad- journed sine die at noon yesterday at the State Fair grounds, where a pro- gramme including a number of speeches from prominent men was carried out.
 John Craft, president of the state as- sociation, was present at the meeting de- mobile accident of Thursday, presiding and introducing the speakers. A. C. Jackson, president of the National Good Roads association, arrived from Little Rock yesterday morning and delivered an address at the closing session, and Lieu tenant Governor-Elect Walter D. Seed and V. M. Pierce were among the other speakers.
 President Craft in calling the conven- He said in part:
 Tt has been a difficult matter to get the. various wiseacres at the state cap itoT and the different boards of commis- sioners to recognize that it is cheaper and better to construct roads, bridges and culverts by the most modern and im- proved methods, and I regret to state that in case where they have attempted to improve them, they have criminally neglected to maintain them. A road is only so good as it's weakest point, and hole or a rut in 1t determines the amount of product that can be hauled over it.
 NO public question in the entire his- tory of Alabama has been of greater im- portance nor of greater benefit to the entire community than that of having good highways radiating throughout every county gravitating toward the cap- ital of this commonwealth.
 This movement affects the children, for wherever good highways are con- structed there appears a better school house, and the neglected ill-kept. eye sore. one-room schoolhouse disappears. The ill-paid teachers place is taken by a larger corps of better teachers, and larger attendance of school children is made possible.
 ''The modern farmer should be taught to know his soils, how to analyze them and to understand farming just as a law yer understands law, or a doctor under stands medicine, that his work might be lifted from drudgery and be made light and profitable. so that he will remain on the farm and not leave it in search of happiness and contentment."
 Seed Talks
 Walter D. Seed gave in his address a number of interesting statistics.
 "Ninety-four billion tons are hauled over the railroads of the United States annually" said MT. Seed. "of this amount 2S0,000,0oO tons are hauled over the public roads. It is estimated that Alabama is wasting every year by it's bad roads system $5,00o,0o0 per year.
 'The following comparisons will show the importance of good roads. In 1905 the average value of lands in Indiana was $55, in Ohio $5S and New Jersey S65. In the same years the average value of lands in Alabama was placed at s11 per acre, in Georgia $13.95 per acre and in Mississippi $15.95 per acre. Although the average profit of cotton produced in the southern states to the acre is almost over twice the profit of corn or wheat produced on the acre in the northern states our lands on account of the bad roads are valued at one-fourth as much as the land in the northern states"
 President A. c. Jackson of the na- tional association was the next speak er He told of the rapid spread of the good roads movement throughout the country, stating that Arkansas and Oklahoma, in which he recently attend ed and addressed state conventions, were especially enthusiastic over the project of improving the public high ways. He expressed the opinion that federal aid should be depended upon head and Johnston as earnest workers in the interest of the state they rep resent.
 V. M. Pierce, speaking on behalf of Logan W. Page of Washington, stated that the working of convicts on the public roads is a matter that should be entertained seriously in Alabama, as the system has been put in vogue with much success in Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana and other states.
 Prior to adjournment the convention adopted resolutions thanking the promi- nent men of the state who have shown an interest in the work of the association by consenting to address the meetings, and expressing the delegates apprecia- ton of the courtesy of the public in gen. eral. city and county officials civic or ganizations and the press.