The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1910-05-26
GOOD ROADS MEET
THIS AFTERNOON
AT THE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
Government Expert Eldridge And Judge
Webster Will Speak On
Important Subject.

Today is Good Roads Day in Hood
River and everybody should turn out
to the meeting this afternoon ut the
Congregational church which will be
addressed by Maurice Eldridge, fore
most highway authority in the United
States, sent here expressly by the
government and Judge Lionel r.
Webtser head of the good roads move
ment in Oregon. The meeting will be
at 2 O'Clock and MIR. Eldridge will
show large number of pictures in
connection with his talk illustrating
good highways. If the church cannot
accommodate the crowd an overflow
meeting will be held in the yard. The
two experts will arrive here this morn
ing from The Dalles where meeting
was held yesterday. The morning
will be spent comforting with local
men on the conditions here with
regard to roads and it is probable
the visitors will be taken on trip
about the valley 30 that they may get
an idea of the country through which
our roads are to be built.
In speaking of the series of Good
Roads meetings in the state and the
Hood River meeting today Judge
Webster said:
1--WE have been given great send
offs this week. Mr.. Eldridge is an
expert, being an authority on the SUBJ
ject. He lis the the assistant chief in
his department and Is the greatest
scientific road builder in the United
States and one Of the best in the
world. He also has wonderful pictures,
showing the progress which has been
made in road building almost since the
beginning Of all things. The people
of Hood River county, the farmers and
ranchers in particular, should take ad-
vantage of the opportunity and hear
him lecture.
"All the road supervisors should
plan to meet the expert and talk road
construction with him learning how
to build thoroughfares, not only maca-
dam roads, but those of gravel and
dirt as well.
1--WE plan upon organizing branch
association of the Oregon Good Roads
association in every county, so that
when the organization is perfected it
will be general state society.
Branch associations have been formed
in Harney, Grant, Wallowa, Union,
Morrow and Gillian counties, while
another has been started in Malheur.
II will ask the people who attend
the meetings here to sign their names
to a membership roll and then through
the Commercial Club the county
court and the road supervisors, the
work of securing more names may
be continued. The names will be sent
in to me and after the county has
been thoroughly canvassed, will
issue call for the organization of tire
Hood River County Good Roads associa-
tion. After once fully organized, the
state association would hold conven-
tion and take up matters of needed
state legislation in the interests of
good roads.
Zone of the matters TO be considered
at that time would be that of using,
convict labor on the roads. This pro-.
position has always been hobby of
mine. There are 300 men In the Ore
gon penitentiary who could be used.
My plan is TO establish, say, six camps
in different parts of the state on the
railroads and put in rock crushers at
these points. Then send all the con-
victs to the camps and put them to
work crushing rock which would be
delivered to the different counties
which wanted to use it. My idea is to
have it delivered on condition that the
counties use it in building scientifi-
cally constructed roads under the direc-
tion of the state good roads association.
expect that the best thing to do
would be TO deliver it to the counties
at the actual cost of construction.
The railroads would transport the
rock for just what it cost them to do
it. The six camps should be equitably
distributed in various parts OF the
state.
Another proposed piece of legisla-
tion which would be taken up by the
general state association at its con-
vention is the proposition of allowing
county and city prisoners to be sent
to other cities and counties to work
on roads and streets. The proposed
law would give Hood River county,
if it did not have enough prisoners to
do completed work, the privileges of
getting prisoners from Wasco county or
some other TO help out. Or il Hood
River needed men TO work here on
the streets it might send to The Dalles
and ask that the city prisoners there
be sent down to Hood River. II The
Dalles did not need the men to work
there on the streets, it would gladly
give up the prisoners for The Dalles
would not be compelled to pay for the
keeping of them in that case and would
gladly let the prisoners go. t1
"The result would be that every
man serving sentence for the vio-
lation of law, instead of being coop
ed up in a city or county Jail or the
penitentiary would be out In the sum
shine, doing great work for the
betterment of Oregon.
"The best methods of broad con-
struction, legislation and hundreds of
other things would be considered by
the association if the counties organic
ed and united in one general 'state
society. II is surprising how much
good could be done by such an oganiza-
tion."