The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1912-10-22

States Army gave an interesting &C
count of the part the United States
Army Engineers have played in the
good roads movement Referring to
the well known saying that an army
marches on it's stomach he added but
the keeping up Of the efficiency Of
the army is largely a matter of good
roads," He explained that while the
army has always kept in touch with
the most improved methods of road
construction and has done its share
towards the development of these
methods, the most notable road work
of the army has been that of the pi.
oneer in the vanguard of civilization.
A most interesting and instructive
| paper on Surveys and Location OF
Roads," was presented by Mr.. Gervais
Lombard, Acting Highway Engineer
of Louisiana, and was we'll received
by the Congress.
The writer took his first dip" in
the Atlantic Ocean in the company
and under the protection of MI. Ger
vais Lombard, who is an expert and
graceful swimmer as we'll as a pro.
ficient road builder.
Col. VIM. D. Sohier, Massachu'
sets Highway Commissioner, who
presided at the legislative session held
under the auspices Of the American
Bar Association, pleaded for the elm.
ination of politics in this nationwide
movement for improved highways.
He declared that politics must be
weeded out" and that tenure of of.
fee was the most important step in
this direction.
Col. Sohier said that ten per cent.
Of all amounts appropriated for road
construction should be set aside for
engineering purposes. and no addi.
tional money should be spent until
the engineering department had COM
pletely worked out its course. AS an
instance Of the wisdom of this course
he cited a conversation he had with
James ]. Hill, the railroad magnate.
in which Mr.. Hill had told him that
he had spent five years in working
out a route through the Rockies in
an ocean to ocean railway route,
while the route was actually built in
two years. when the route was
completed" Mr.. Hill was quoted as
saying, "our engines could haul twice
as many cars over its grade al the
locomotives could over other systems.
so that when it came to making rates
the heads Of the other systems had
to come to me-"
President Taft, who was on the
program for an address. had to cancel
the engagement by order of his physi-
clan. and this was q great disappoint-
ment to the Congress.
An illustration Of the keen interest
taken by the United States govern
ment in the work Of the American
Road Congress was furnished in the
presence of Mr.. Lee McClung, Treas
urer of the United States. who pre-
sided over the meeting Of the Finance
Section of the Congress, and in the
address delivered to the Congress by
Mr.. p. v. DeGraw. fourth assistant
Postmaster General. who pledged the
aid Of the Il 1000 rural mail carriers in
his department in furthering the good
roads movement. These $4,000 car.
riers travel owe a million miles of
highway in q single day and serve
twenty million people every day in
the year at a cost to the government
of forty-six million dollars, and are
as faithful a band of men as there are
in the world, explained MI. DeGraw.
Continuing, he said:
'"If there is anything wrong with
your mail rOadways in any section of
the country, tell your rural carrier
about it and he will report it to his
His postmaster in turn
will report it to me, and by me it will
be referred to Director Page, of the
States Office Of Public Roads,
"a hours. This method has
been in vogue for the past two years
and it has been worked out with per-
wherever tried. 1t has proven
one Of the greatest agencies in the
country to stimulate and crystalline
the good roads movement"
Treasurer Lee McClung spoke in an
and impressive way on
Bond Issues for Road Improvement"
The fundamental conditions to be en-
In road bonds to make them
marketable he named are:
~ Time Of maturity should be linn
ted to 20, or at longest. Is years;
roy CARDINAL retirement of the bonds