Charlevoix county herald., 1913-06-07
FOR BETTER HIGHWAYS
GOOD ROADS MEETING STARTS
THINGS IN eENZlE COUNTY.
Enthusiasm Aroused Over Proposition
to Bond Crystal Lake Township
for Purpose of improving
Main Roads.

I A big good roads meeting was held
/. at Frankfort, Benzie county, on April
70. At this meeting enthusiasm was
developed for the proposition TO bond
Crystal Lake township for $4,000 for
he purpose of improving all of the
nain roads in the township. This
Icing a small township it is believed
that every road of consequence can
be taken care of with $4,000 and such
state reward money as can be earned.
Another feature of the big meeting
was the laying of emphasis upon
Frankfort as a lake port and the start
ing of a campaign to create sentiment
in favor of building trunk lines from
the interior part Of Benzie county TO
have begun to occupy the Benzie hills
may be able to ship their cherries,
peaches and apples by boat.
One OF the principal speakers at the
meeting was the Hon. David Z. Burns,
who at one time was in the Michigan
state senate, but who is now farm
er on the shores of Crystal lake. He
Beulah to Frankfort, a distance of
nine miles, that auto trucks might be
used in hauling the fruit crops to the
boat docks. He said that the express
rate between the two points was SO
high that il cut q big hole in the
profits Of the fruit growers, but that
if one of the main highways was i'm
proved, it would be possible to trans
port the fruit at a small fraction of
the present rate. Mr.. Burns also
dwelt upon the fact that the people
of the western part of the county are
waking up to the Importance of con-
structive development work and that
the outlook is very bright for the flu
ture of Frankfort village.
At this meeting stress was also laid
upon the Importance Of preparing to
entertain the convention on wheels
which is to pass over the Western
Michigan lake shore highway from
the Indiana line TO Mackinaw City
the second week in July. The Frank
fort people were the least bit unde-
cided whether 10 welcome the road
men with a fish dinner or boat ride
on Lake Michigan; some even urged
that both forms OF entertainment be
offered that the inducements to visit
the village should be doubly attrac-
tive.
J. A. Matzinger, the supervisor of
Crystal Lake township, explained by
means of large map, the roads that
were needed to open up the entire
territory. and he urged that an advis-
DRY committee consisting of five, with
one man from each neighborhood in
the township be appointed to work
with the town board for the purpose
of seeing that the money devoted TO
road purposes is expended efficiently.
Richard NJ Hoffman, treasurer of
the Western Michigan Lake Shore
Highway association, and also county
road commissioner for Manistee coun-
ty, was present and told what the
association that he represents is try
ing to do for better roads in the
Western Michigan country.
The other speakers at this impor-
tant meeting were: f. o. Wickham,
who dwelt upon the importance of
highway improvement in its various
phases, and Carl Pickert of Arcadia
who told how the roads in his section
were being extended so as to reach
towards Frankfort, and ]. F. Hoffstet
ter, cashier of the State bank, who
was chairman of the meeting and
spoke many words of encouragement
for the work that the meeting was
trying to accomplish.
The meeting closed with an illus
trated lecture given by a representa-
tive of the Western Michigan Develop
nent bureau, which lecture was enti-
led, Better Roads for Western Mich