The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-08-01
PLAN GREAT
 STATE ROADS
AUTOISTS TO ASK PERMANENT LY-PAVED TRUNK LINES CROSSING WHOLE
 STATE.
BILL TO NEXT LEGISLATURE
Meeting to Be Held Here Next Mon- day When Delegates Will Assem-
 ble From Principal Cities.

bile association, Charles Marcy Rob- i inson of New Haven is sending out invita- tions to automobile clubs | throughout the state to send delegates to an important meeting to be held next Monday afternoon at the Hotel | Stratfeld to discuss plans for the se- | curing of permanent pavements on | the -trunk-1ine highways in this state. | The purpose and plan of the movement 1 is explained in full in the following letter which has been sent out by MT. Robinson:
 New Haven, July 27, 1912.
 Automobile Club of New Haven, 1 New Haven, Conn. 3 l In reTrunk-line Roads.
 l Dear Sirs:-At a meeting of the l board of directors of the Connecticut | Automobile association on the 10th l inst. the following vote was passed: | That a committee be appointed, consisting of the president, MT. Sta 1 ples, and two others to be chosen by l him, for the purpose of taking up l with such boards of trade of various 1 other interested parties, the question
 1 of the organization of Connecticut
 l Good Roads association for the pur-
 l pose of obtaining permanent pave ments on the trunk-line highways Of
 l this state. This committee to report
 | at a. future meeting of this board. ' l Tn accordance with this vote Pres
 | ident Staples appointed ass the other | two members of the committee MT. J.
 | M Emerson of Ansoniag and the writ
 l CT. am directed to act as secretary
 | of the committee until permanent l organization is effected.
 r. The purpose of this movement is to 1 obtain in the first place paved high 1 way IS or 20 feet wide running from l Portchester, N Y., through Green 1 wich, Stamford, South Norwalk,
 Bridgeport New Haven, saybrook. 1 New London and Stonington, and north and south road running from l New Haven through Wallingford, 1 Meriden, Hartford, and up the Con l necticut' valley to the state line on the north Another east to west highway
 l is proposed running from the state l line near Danbury, through Danbury,
 Waterbury. Thomaston, Terryville, l New Britain, Hartford, Manchester. l Andover, Willimantic, Norwich and
 l down to New London. The type of road. whether concrete macadam.
 concrete with a tar dressing, wooden t1bIock. or brick, is a question to be l settled later.
 l It is conceded by all that a water bound macadam road is absolutely 1n- l adequate under heavy traffic as it ne-- | cessitates frequent rebuilding ana causes an expense of at least two hun 1 dred per cent. year for up-keep 1T | the road Is kept in repair.
 l It is conceded by every business l man that a more permanent road, al- | though it may cost twice as much on l the original contract, will at the end l of five years cost very much less than ! any attempt to maintain water | bound macadann. ., | fnrax h1Ii1 nY 1 the route above outlined will bring l thousands of dollars a year into the state of Connecticut and will mean an l increase of millions in the taxable value of property. The increased value will extend back great many
 miles from the road itself as automo-
 I biIists are perfectly willing to run .nf- | teen or twenty miles over an ordinary
 ] dirt road, if the hundred miles tray eled to get to the turn-on furnlsnes good running.
 The only manner in which we can
 obtain this much to be desired nlgn-
 way is through organization. The Con
 necticut Automobile association mas
 obtained satisfactory leglslation
 1 through the fact that it's thirty-fiVe
 hundred members scattered all over
 l the state of Connecticut can ana do
 express to their representatlves al
 l Hartford their views on these mat
 1 ters. The permanent paving idea must l have backing of at least five thou
 sand organized voters and from what we in the Connecticut Automobile as- l sociation know of the situation tnls
 membership can be obtained.
 1 We must have technical commit | tee to obtain information and statls-
 | tics in regard to the various forms or pavemehts and to determine the pave ments we will seek to have laid down l over this route.
 I TO I1cf hoxy 0 sent to the legislature and must have an active legislative committee back l of this bill in order to put 1t through. during the next session of the legls- | lature. The idea which seems to pre- vail among those with whom we have talked is that this improvement should be made through an issue of l bonds, and that the three hundred 1 thousand dollars which will come this year and following years from the dI- rect state tax on automobiles should
 lbe devoted to paying the interest and creating a sinking fund on these | bonds. There must also be estab- l lished a permanent headquarters for 1 the association in order that cores pondence may be taken care of, speakers sent to- various localities to arouse interest and obtain member l ship and to transact the business. which necessarily will come to lan as- sociation of this character.
 You are requested to send three delegates to a meeting to be held at 1 the Hotel Stratf1eld in Bridgeport on Monday, August 5th, at pm. These delegates will organize, will elect at 1 least temporary officers, and will de- eide upon definite plans for the fu- ture. As such a road will be of great direct benefit to you and to your community we trust you will not fail I to have representative present. The l initial expenses which will be neces- sary for stationery, postage, rent, clerk hire, etc., will be borne by sub- scriptions from the various bodies in terested. After the association is started it seems certain that it can be run upon one dollar subscriptions from automobilists and other inter
 ested parties.
 Trusting that you will have dele gates present beg to remain, Very truly yours,
 c. M. ROBINSON, Secretary Organization Committee, | c. A. A.
 The above letter has been sent to auto clubs and boards of trade throughout the state wherever inter est in the matter would be at all likely. The Automobile club of New Haven has elected as delegates to the meeting Philip Pond, Adolph Mendel and Frank H. Mason. Other automo- bile clubs have elected delegates and the. boards of trade of BridgepOrt