The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1913-03-13
A Good Roads Mass Meeting.

A Good Roads Mass Meeting.
The following clipping is from last
weeks issue of our Minden exchange,
the Signal
Representative citizens from Bossier
and Claiborne Parishes met with citizens
of Webster at the Court House in Min
den Tuesday and discussed plans for
building the proposed model highway
from Homer to Shreveport by way of
Minden. Mr.. Thomas Crichton and Mr..
C. M. Roberts, both Of this place, were
made Chairman and Secretary, respect
lively, OF the meeting.
Short talks were made by number of
those present and it was soon apparent
that the meeting favored the building Of
the proposed road under the States
good roads plan, with Federal super
vision. The old way Of building roads
by inexperienced men had been tried
out, according to the statements Of some
of the speakers, and had proved
failure.
The Bossier representatives said that
their parish had spent approximately
100000 during the past ten or fifteen
years on roads and that they had good
roads during the summer, but that in
winter when the farmers needed them
most they were practically impossible.
Claiborne, according to her representa-
tives, had had practically the same ex-
perience, only on a smaller scale. Mr.,
E. E. Fitzgerald, of the Minden Lumber
Company, speaking for Webster, was
also opposed to turning over funds to
inexperienced men to build roads. He
favored the States good road plan. In
Grant Parish, he said, where his COM
pany pays from $1,000 to $4,000 annually
as a good roads tax, roads had been
built under this plan which had stood
the test of two severe winters rains and
had remained good roads the year round.
His company estimated that tho build
ing of these roads had enhanced their
land values in that section at least 50
per cent.
| When it was thus clearly shown that
the meeting favored the building of the
proposed model road by experts in
charge OF this work, motion was put
and carried that the Chairman be
authorized to appoint committee Of
three from this meeting, which was tc
act in conjunction with a committee Of
six, which the police juries from the
several parishes were requested to APP
point-two from each parish-in ascer.
tanning from the State Engineer the
probable cost of survey of said route
and the cost per mile for building sais
road.
The Chairman appointed on this com
mittee DIR. T. S. Serpen Of Claiborne
Mr.. R. D. Wilmington Of Bossier AM
! Mr.. C. M. Roberts of Webster. TIL
Webster Parish Police Jury, which wa
t in session that day, took action on tn
suggestion of the meeting at once an
s appointed as its members OF this com
mittee Messrs. w. T. Burnett and T.
. Colbert. The Chairman of this com
mittee has already taken the matter U
with the State Engineer and hearin
:. is expected within few days.
The meeting was an enthusiastic On
and was attended by nearly every busl
y ness man OF the town, besides the reE
u resentatives from our two neighborin
= parishes. Every business house in tow
e was closed while the meeting was
n session.
The Claiborne representatives were
l. EC. o. Ferguson, Lynn Langston, A.
r johnson, r. H. Knighten, j. R. Madde1
,e C. A. Candy, L. P. King, NJ. F. Robe
son, w. G. Phillips, r. A. Ragland, b
ST. Price and Dr. T. S. Serpel.
in Those from Bossier were Messrs. j. {
W McDade and R. D. Wilmington.