Bisbee daily review., 1912-03-20
Message of Gov. Hunt to the First Legislature

ment which should now engage the patriotic thought of every Arizonan, nothing is more important than good highways. Each dollar economically expended on the roads of the state, in whatever county, between what ever points, will mean dollar wise ly spent. Not only do good roads reduce the cost and increase the ease of transportation, wherever transpor- tation by rail or water is not avail able. but Arizona has another and possibly greater incentive for the establishment and maintenance of creditable highways. Our state is a state Of scenic wonders, climatic mir acles and extraordinary geographical advantages. It lies in the route Of transcontinental travel, and it's many marvels will annually attract thou sands of sight-seeis and pleasure seekers, whose interest. engaged and retained may frequently convert them into investors, developers and l loyal friends. Good roads are an al most certain index to a community's prosperity. and prosperity breeds hap
 piness and contentment. Your plans for roadwork, if l mis. ! take not, should be laid along more 1 systematic lines than the program | the territory has heretofore followed, | and l recommend. as a basis for | this system. the establishment by the state engineer of comprehensive plan of public highways, with it's main arteries traversing the state | from east to west, from north to south. from northeast to southwest, and from northwest to southeast, and ! its feeders and branches reaching into | the intermediate sections, cOmmuni | ties and towns. Thus planned. the work of construction should be car ried on with system, with energy and with skill until Arizona's highways | become the admiration and envy of
 the world.
 Preserve Scenic Effects
 As l have said, AriZona's scenery
 is a splendid asset ,No similar area | on the face of the earth, l assert with perfect confidence, boasts so great a variety. such compelling beauty, such impressive grandeur as
 the varying scenes our state affords. ! Ir is an asset which should be jeal- | ouslv guarded: and the thought has ! been impressed upon me, during re- cent visits to mountainous portions of the state that an abuse is being permitted which has already become
 a nuisance. and will in time go far
 toward destroying the scenic beau ties of the beaten paths of travel
 refer to the practice of painting
 advertising devices on the boulders and precipices and stony points arfg mt ture of the scenic effects on our
 mountain roads, and l recommend ' tLat it be prohibited.
 Better Return for State Funds At the present time the state re-
 ceives one per cent per annum m
 terest for it's moneys deposited m
 state banks In my opinion this rate is insufficient. and l recommend
 that banks carrying state deposits
 be required to pay a rate of interest
 more equitably propOrtioned to the ruling rates paid by savings banks
 and more nearly in accord with the } benefits they derive from the use
 of the states moneys.
 Strengthen Anti-usury Laws 1 recommend, also, and most UT gently. that the laws relating to
 usury be strengthened. to the end
 that the rights of borrowers may be
 fully protected. and the eXactlons of unreasonable lenders defeated | Means should be taken to prevent ' the making or to provide for the ! illegality of contracts entered into generally with so-called loan brokers | for the payment Of extortionate in , terest. directly or indirectly, and to ? stop the peTnicious practice Tn vogue of mOrtgaging or assigning unearneo salaries as security for loans out ol , all proportion smaller than the re . turn required to be made, and carry ing interest requirements out or al 5 proportion larger than the benehts [ to be derived, by the borrower, from } the transaction.
 Corporation Laws
 . Arizonas constitution has create, a coronation commission and clothed it with certain powers, the employ
 ment Of which powers will undoubt - edly work great benefits 10 the peo ? ple. particularly in the correction o ! the excessive and discriminatins [ freight and express tariffs at pres - ent in vogue. To render the com mission still more effective. its pow ' CTS should be made self operative bl l statutes defining all necessary rules b and regulations for its operation ? Machinery should be provided fol D carrying into effect the provisions O. r the constitution by which it was in 1, tended to transfer the issuance o ! corporation charters from the all - ditor's office 10 that of the corpora 3 ton commission, and supervision o F foreign insurance companies iron 2 the office of the secretary Of state } fixing the fees to be charged, the
 life and extension of corporations
 and carrying out and defining th' q other provisions of Article XIV. IT 2 addition 70 this the supervision O } surety and fidelity companies. now 9 lodged with the governor, should b' D likewise transferred defined and re < gUlated.
 . "Wild Catting"
 | am convinced that advanced stel' - should be taken to stop wifd-cattlns c and I recommend that the corpo- q [ tion commission be clothed VIII