The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-02-17

The very general interest that is be-
ing displayed in the Meridian road
movement is indicated by the follow
ing statement issued by the Texas
Commercial Secretaries and Business
Mems association:
provcmcnt. The germ of good roads
has infected tho union from east to
west and from north to- south. Every
whore is heard the noise of the road
grader and the whistle of the steam
pillow. AS this is an age of great I'M
dertakings in every line. so it is in the
o building. The most stupendous
planned, and it is gratifying TO know
that they are not only laid on paper,
but on the land. They are not the
dreams of Missionaries. but everyday
happenings in the lives of realists.
h magnitude of the plans for
building highways has passed the
bounds of community and county
lines to assume interstate and eve
international Importance. The trans
continental highway. reaching from
coast to coast, will be some 1000
miles in length, or more than eleven
times as long as the world famous
Appain a
Nearly ST 10000. 900 Expended.
Approximately $4,000. 900 were
expended in the United States last
year for building good roads. This
money was disbursed in aiding the
cause of highway construction under
various names. mo from precinct
roads a few miles in length to high
ways lraversing entire states. Some
of the most notable highway projects
are tho Transcon,incntal highway. the
National highway, h Jeff Davis
highway, the Red riVer-to-the- gulf
road, the Observation-Disclosures road.
tn" Lincoln road and the Meridian
road.
h Meridian road while not as
long as the Transcontincntal high
way, is of no less Importance. This
o N crosses the United States from
north to south. bisects the union al
most equally, reaches nine states, with
a total area of S41,159 square miles.
or tWcnty-Seven per cent of that of
the United States, and is approximate
~ 1000 miles in length.
Plans of Meridian Road.
The present plans of the Meridian
road call for Il continuous highway
from Winnipeg, Can, to Galveston,
Tex. When this is completed. it will
in All probability be extended south
ward to the City of Mexico.
AS already planned. this road will
tap the most productive portion of the
union. the great middle west. This
is indicated by the table given below
prepared from the thirteenth federal
census report, which shows tina the
nine states touched by this road fur
nish proportionately a large share Of
the entire farm production of the
United States. as follows: Corn, 43
Der cent; wheat. 81; oats, 46: hay and
forage, 40; cotton. "a: horses and
mules. AZ; cattle, 40; swine. 43.
Travellers along the Meridian road
will pass from the waving fields of
golden grain Of the Dakotas and Kan
sas to the virgin white cotton fields of
oklahoma and Texas: from the snow
clad plains of Canada to the sunkissed
orange groves of the southern gulf
coast.
Originated i'm Kansas.
This proposed highway had its in
ception in the sunflowcr state about
June /, 1911, at Salina. the Meridian
Road association a organized to
promote II north and south road
across Kansas near the sixth meridian,
w. w. Watson was elected president
and John c. Nicholson. secretary. The
officers We're instructed t. proceed at
once with definite plans of the north
and south road n to enlarge the