The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1912-11-29
ROAD CONGRESS-.
Important Topics Discussed at
Atlantic City.

Demand For Federal Aid and For the
Establishment of National Depart
ment of Roads-Matters In Which
the Grange Is Interested.
The first annual session of the Amer
lantic City in October. At no c0nven-
ton in this country of like nature
have there been 50 many valuable pa
pers and addresses given on so wide
variety of topics all vital to the i'm
Proyempnt of our highways as at this
road congress- The character of the
speakers and their high standing in
their respective states have given this
meeting the nature of clearing house
Of scientific thought on a hundred diff
fcrent problems affecting the Construc-
ton and maintenance OF public roads.
Governor Woodrow Wilson in his I'D
dress Of welcome struck the Keynote
of the congress when he declared for
federal aid in road building The fol
lowing day Frank ID. Lyon of New
York again brought the subject to the
front and in outlining his plan sug
gested that Il cabinet officer be made
the head of Il new roads department
and that he or his agents go into every
state and carry out Il campaign of mis-
sionary work looking toward the es
tablishment of road departments I'M
der certain prescribed rules to fit the
particular needs of jurisdiction invad-
ed by the adoption of which federal
aid would be Forthcoming cOmmenSu-
rate with the extent and condition OF
the roads of that particular state. BY
the allowance of so much per mile per
year from the federal government
states already having good road sys-
TENS would have a surplus, after pay
ing for the maintenance of their roads,
to open up new highways, while those
which have bad highways would have
the funds necessary for the construc-
ton of better highways and in the
succeeding years money to maintain
them in proper shape The congress
later declared Enthusiastically for federal
aid
State legislation prohibiting any
county from issuing bonds for the con-
struction of roads unless the issue also
covered the establishment of depre-
citation fund for the maintenance of the
particular highway was advocated by
II. W. Anderson of Richmond, Va. He
declared millions were annually wasted
by the counties because such a clause
was absent from the laws permitting
the bond issues.
Employment OF convict labor in road
building was the subject of an address
by DR.. j. Hyde Pratt, state geoogist
of North Carolina, who was followed
by Professor +. S. Within, general sec
rotary of the national committee Cd
prison labor DR.. Pratt expressed I'M
qualified favor for prison labor on the
roads of the country, declaring that ii
would benefit not only the state, but
the convictS I'VE should not lose
sight of the fact" he said, that when
a convict has suffered his punishment
he has paid the debt he owes society
for his tranSgreSSiOn and should be
welcomed back to his citizenship, for
in the great majority of instances the
convicts are better men at the end of
their terms than they were before be
ing sentenced This class Of labor has
been employed with excellent results
on the highways of North Carolina,
and we have found there through prac-
teal experience that not only the
state, but the convict is benefited"
DR.. Pratt said that the convictS should
be paid for their labor and that the
amount due them should either be
handed them at the end of their terms
of Imprisonment or to their relatives
and dependents, as specified by the
men in custody.
The road truck traffic, now in its in
fancy, but growing by leaps and
bounds. is Il new and very dangerous
menace to good highways, in the opin-
ion of William u. Sohier of Boston,
speaking at the conference of the legiS
lative section under the auspices of the
American Bar association. Colonel So
bier, who is chairman of the Massa-
chusetts highway commission, declared
the state legislatures should be impor-
tuned to enact laws that would regu
late the use of the public roads by this
heavy vehicular traffic. He quoted sta
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