The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-29
TAFT ID SPEAK ID
 GOOD ROADS MEN Notable Convention Will Be
 Held in Richmond ROAD USERS DAY"
Automobilists Will Have One Entire Day Devoted to Consideration of Subjects of Special Inter-
 est to Them

Washington. October 2S.-(Special.) In the official programme of the big road congress to be held by the Amer ican Association for Highway Improve rnent at Richmond, November 20-23, 1911, there is list of speakers which includes the most notable scientists and public men ever gathered togeth- CT for any one convention. The pro- gramme, which has just been an- nounced, includes an address by Pres ident Taft, the first that he will de- liver upon his return from his long western trip.
 Previous announcement has been made that on National Day" which will mark the opening of the congress of the association and its allied or ganizations, the speakers will include Governor Mann of Virginia, Senators Martin and Bank khead and Congress- man J. Hampton Moore and others.
 In the official programme however, it is set forth that Harold Parker, chairman of the Massachusetts state highway commission, will preside, and that 20 minute papers will be read by w. A. Mclean, provincial engineer of ontario, Canada; w. w. Crosby, state highway engineer of Maryland; A. N. Johnson, state highway engineer or Illinois A II. Blanchard, professor of highway engineering, Columbia univer- sity; P. St. J. Wilson, state h1ghWay commissioner of Virginia.
 On Road Users Day" which will follow the second day, set aside for manufacturers, the automobilists will | have their innings. This part or the programme is under the auspices of the | Touring Club of America, which will have charge of the automobile tours which have been arranged. More thali 800 automobiles will go to Richmond from various cities, as far away as | Chicago.
 This part of the programme will he devoted to a discussion of the various problems of traffic regulations, not merely from the standpoint or the automobiles, but from all other stand points James S. Harlan, member or the interstate commerce commission, will preside The address of welcome will be delivered by M. Preston Bel win, on behalf of the State Automobile association, and will be followed by M. J. T. Palmatary, president of the Richmond Automobile club. Many other speakers will deliver short talks on various phases of the traffic problems, as presented in different sections of the country. They will include Senator Swanson of Virginia Hugh Chalmers of Detroit, Col. Charles Clinton of New York. and Howard b. Hadley of New York.
 An equally notable list of speakers has been arranged for the fourth and final day of the congress.
 Moving pictures showing the effects of good and bad roads, some of therl humorous and some dramatic, present ing in a striking and human manner the contrast between the two phases of the road problem, will lend con siderable interest to the congress, to the average layman, who, after all, is the one chiefly affected by sys- tenn of bad roads It will be shown that the high cost of living has been due, in a large measure, to the diff culty of getting farm products to the railroads for shipment at the bad road seasons and that system of good roads will wipe out this evil.
 It is estimated that something in the neighborhood of $400,000,O00 a year could be saved throughout the coun- try by improving 20 per cent of all the roads now existent The tre- nlendous interest in the road problems throughout the United States is indi- cated by the fact that the country IS now spending about $1,OO0,0O0 day Tn road building and maintenance.
 Arrangements are being made to se- cure reduced round trip tickets on the various railroads leading into Rich mond for the congress and present in- dications are that there will be more than 5000 visitors from various parts of the country in the course of the four days These visitors will include farmers, business men, public men, a,- tomobilists and manufacturers of roao machinery and road materials as well
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