Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1912-04-04
y ~ 0IIN IV'1T VI VII7- VI Z 0IUVIIT
\ x y y \ y y y y \ y y y x X =

i - y - - y - y y y y y
! The New Mexico Good Roads Con-
i gress convened in the chambers OF
! the supreme court at 10 O'Clock this
! morning. The morning session was
! given over to the discussion of gen
eral good roads matters. The address
i by the Few. Harvey NJ. Shields of
=. Dawson, chairman of the board of
! county commissioners of Colfax coun.
ty, was scholarly in terms and offered
man. helpful suggestions in solving
good roads problems. Among other
! things ne suggested a bond issue of
$40, 0,0000O0.
| Francis E. Lester gave a practical
discussion on the good roads prob
lens from the county standpoint.
Many of his suggestions will no
doubt be embodied in resolutions to
be offered later.
The convention early took up the
matter of transcOntinental highways
and decided that it was not properly
question that might come before a
lN'NtS SoloItoS anu II NdS lHtI bIUIt
dismissed from discussion 1t was
pointed out that the business of the
Stale organization was local rather
than national
! The following We're appointed on
committee to draft constitution and
bylaws for the congress: r. f. Twi1-
chell, J. v Tully and D. X. b. Sellers.
This committee together with the
committees appointed last evening
will report to the convention and the
real work Of the congress will begin
If the delegates succeed in accomp-
fishing the work outlined for this eve
ning's meeting the congress will ad-
journ sine die
Engineer Miller on Good Roads.
! The following is brief resume of
the arguments for good roads and the
plans for obtaining them taken from
the speech of State Engineer c. d. Mil
Ter:
Much has been said of the improve
ment Of roads incident to the attrac-
ton of tourist travel, but | believe
the most rapid and substantial devFf-
opment along this line that can come
to New Mexico will result from the
building of roads to aid our own cit
liens. 1t is always the farmer and
the businessman that pays the taxes
to build the roads and not the motor
car tourist who is with us one day and
is gone the next. 1t is only wise to
serve the tourist where it can be done
without expense and inconvenience to
the citizens of the state.
Finish the Trunk Lines.
Work has ueen done by tn, good
roads commission in twenty-five coun-
ties of the state out of the twenty-six
! and the citizens are fully alive to the
advantages of good roads The state
, has dealt literally with those counties
, that have evinced an interest in road
. construction. In fact the state has
. ne"lected its own roads for the bene-
i fit of the county highways. and it is
+, high time that the state took up the
| work of completing its own system
! o. thoroughfares and principally the
g Canine Real of the Pecos and Rio
Q Grande Valleys.
Tax Automobiles
1T takes large expenditures of funds
TO secure the comforts and advantages
: Of good roads. What has been accom-
iplished has been done with the parry
sum of $175,000, expended over a per-
> iod of nearly three years. The ques-
: ton for the Good Roads Congress to
D solve is the raising of additional rev.
t enue without placing an undue bur
t den on the tax payer. A tax on auto
mobile has been suggested and
: doubtless will be adopted. Get the
r back taxes, bond the state for a small
. sum and use the funds for the con-
struction of state highways.
q Take Roads Out of Politics.
6 In legislating for the state roads
:. the county trafficways should not be
a neglected or overlooked The county
). read tax system is a cumbersome and
uncertain source of revenue. An i'm
!. partial system of collecting county
:, road taxes and an efficient method for
p accomplishing this has not yet been
n devised and it is scarcely possible that
n the efficiency of the system will BE-
e increased until the roads are taken out
of politics and the local highways re-