The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1913-01-24
GOOD ROAD CONGRESS
Meeting at Atlantic City Marks
Epoch in History.
Most Important Feature Was Attempt
to Find Ways and Means to Stop
Tremendous Drain on Rev
enues-Subjects Discussed.

The first national road congress-
held at Atlantic City, N. j., October
10 marks an epoch In the history of
good roads. Among the purposes OF
the road congress and one of the most
important OF many was the attempt
to find ways and means of stopping
this tremendous drain on road rev.
enues; also to consider the best meth
DDS of road management and of road
construction and maintenance, and dis
cuss the innumerable questions that
arise out of these fundamental ones,
writes ]. W. Darrow In the New Eng
land Homestead.
The first two days of the congress
were road users days, so called, and
the program was under the direction
of the American Automobile associa-
tion. Among the subjects discussed
was, "The Farmer and Good Roads,"
by N. P. Hull, lecturer of the national
grange, who contended that good
roads would help solve the problem
of keeping the boys on the farm, and
would reduce costfof products to con-
sumers by giving farmers easier and
quicker access to the markets. On
automobile laws Charles T. Terry,
chairman of the A. A. A. legislative
board, objected to the motorist pay
ing the cost of road building and de-
clared that the double tax levied on
autoists In all but two states was un-
just.
National old trails was discussed
in a paper by Judge ]. M. Lowe Of
st. Louis and by Mrs. Donald Nc
Lean. honorary president-general of
the D. A. R., and the "see America
first" idea, was presented by Preston
Belvin Of the Virginia State Automo-
bile association, Dr. Joseph Hyde
Pratt Of North Carolina and Dell M.
Potter Of Arizona, who is general
booster" In other words the presi-
dent of the Ocean to Ocean Highway
association, which proposes to con-
struct highway across the continent
Among the other speakers up to the
time covered by the third day of the
congress were Col. w. d. Sohier of
Massachusetts, who advised uniform
road making laws; H. W. Anderson
of Richmond, Va, who discussed
needed reforms In road legislation,
and advocated complete system of
federal, state, county and town roads;
James II. Macdonald of Connecticut,
who was introduced as the father of
the good roads movement in Amer
lea; and Clarence A. Kenyon of In
dianapolis, who described the Indiana
system of good roads as unworthy the
state, yet much had been accom-
plished in spite of 1t.
The road machinery and material
exhibits were most complete and In
structive and they added distinctly
to the success of the congress. The
exhibit won praise on all hands. The
government exhibit consisted of a Sc
ries of models showing the develop.
ment of road building from early
Roman times. The state exhibits af-
forded much information relating to
roads within their respective bound
aries, and dozen or more states
were represented in this manner. The
road congress went on record as
favoring federal aid for the purpose
OF building and maintaining good
roads.
The president of the congress was
authorized to appoint committee to
confer with and interest the American
Bar association in regard to formulat.
ing uniform laws relating to the
building. maintenance and use of
roads. Laws for the employment OF
prison labor In the Improvement of
the public highways were also recon.
mended, The congress commended
the proposition to construct an "old
trails ocean to ocean highway"