Imperial Valley press., 1914-04-02
Road Boosters
Pledge Support

the road is in passable condition and
being improved. !. From FL Paso to
the line of New Mexico a macadam
road practically all the way to Las
Cruces and from this place to DEM
iap it is being improved. From DEM
ing the e. Paso-to-Phoenix races fol-
lowed the borderland route, which is
part of our route to Lordsburg,
from where we go, via Duncan, Cliff
ton, Solomonvilla, Globe, Roosevelt
dam and Phoenix, to Yuma. All of
this road is passable and being i'm
proved.
should have mentioned that there
is state fund of $5OO,000; also one
county (Dona Ana county, $10O,OOO)
in New Mexico, with the other coun-
ties on our line to bond.
In Arizona, $50OOOO has been is
sued in Yuma county, and s1,5OO,O0O
in Maricopa county will carry by
big majority, which leaves three
counties-Gila, Graham and Gree =
lee-to bond for the completion of
the road, which is now passable. A
part of this road is already con-
s,rpcted from Roosevelt dan to Globe
anc much of the road in other coun-
ties.
In addition to this work we have
succeeded in having passed by Con-
gress bill for the construction OF
two bridges in Arizona on ali Indian
res ervation, for the Gila and San
Carlos rivers, and the right Of way
across said reservation; also the bill
for the bridge at Yuma.
Have secured free bridge over Mis-
sissippi river at Memphis. Cost OF
bridge and approaches approximately
100000. All piers now above wa
ter and will be completed in time for
the 1915 travel.
Since / made the trip from you,
city over the California link via FL
Centre and Holtville I have not been
able to give that end of the road
any time, except by correspondence.
This is now the vital part of the
Southern National Highway. This
YOU will readily see by looking close
ly at the parallel lines in the diff
ferent states. At any point east of
Phoenix it is possible to travel by
a parallel route, but from there west
to your city there is but one prac-
tical route, and this must be taken
care of.
That the Southern National High
way is a settled fact there is no
question, and that it will be the
greatest asset the State of Califor-
MIA has in tourist travel in all the
wears to come is beyond argument,
it being open the year around, the
route which, in connection with the
Quebec Miami and your Pacific Coast
road, makes the longest continuous
highway in the world, the shortest
possible ocean-to-ocean highway. All
these facts and many others prove
beyond question it's value to your
state,
I call your attention to one other
feature, and the most important one
in connection with government recog
milton to duty to assist in maintenanc. .
from Washington to Atlanta the
department of roads has taken charge
of maintenance of that entire stretch
of the road and we hope to bring
pressure enough to bear to have this
continued, at least as far as the Mis-
sissippi river, during this year.
AS soon as we can make arrange
ments to start on the survey and
writeup trip, described in the en-
closed memorandum, we will do so,
that we may have the data secured
by the engineer as to cost of COM
pletion, this to include all data neces
sary, SO that we can introduce bill
in Congress for an appropriation suf-
ficient to complete this highway.
4 The magazines which we are ar
ranging for-the first issue of $780,
OOO--we will distribute in the east
central and northern sections of ths
United States, so that these people
may be induced to come over the
Southern National highway to Cali
fornia during the expositions.
I We have also well under way an
arrangement to establish bureau
of information at San Francisco and
your city, to be known as the South
ern National Bureau of Information
|, where we will distribute free the best