Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1914-03-13
AMERICAN ROAD
 CONGRESS- TO MEET
Meeting WillsBe Held at Atlanta, Ga, During Week Beginning Novem-
 Der g. f9li.

The fourth American Road Con- gress, and the convention of the American Highway, all it's affiliated organizations, and the American Automobile Association, has been scheduled for Atlanta, Georgia, dur ing the week beginning November 9, 1914.
 This announcement, which has been awaited by the various organizations working for better roads, was made in Washington by J. E. Pennybacker secretary of the American oad Con- gress. The convention city was selected some time ago. but the date was left open until Mr. Pennybacker made definite announcement in Wash ington.
 It was also announced that in ad- dition to the road organiza lions, committees of the American Bar As sociation and the American Bankers Association would work in conjunc- tion with the American Highways Association to make the fuorth road congress crystalline the movement for more uniform road laws and a better system of financing road inn provement throughout the country.
 This will be the first meeting of
 
 South and is a recognition of the great energy and progress that has been made in that section in the movement for improved roads. In 1913, about $40, 000 was expended by southern states on their public roads, in addition to the labor of thousands of state convicts. Georgia alone had her entire convict force numbering 5000 engaged in road construction.
 The tremendous importance of guarding against extravagance ill road expenditures is shown by the fact that while a recent report of the Census Bureau indicates that the total bonded debt of the forty-eight states last year was $49,157 ,000, in the single year of 1912 the states spent about $142, ,000,000 on roads. The total indebtedness had been ac cummulating for years and yet in one year an amount equal to about one third was spent on roads. This sub ject will be dealt With exhaustively at the coming congress.
 Che of the principal results hoped for by the management of the con- gress will be the establishment of state highway departments in the six southern states which have thus far failed to adopt the plan of state sup ervision, namely Georgia, South Caro- lima, Florida, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Texas. Aside from these six states only Indiana and Montana have failed to establish state highway de- ,partments for educational CT con- structive work.
 The 1913 American oRad Congress- was held in Detroit, Michigan, with an attendance of abou 4,000 repre- senting fourty-four states and with q vast array of exhibits in which the United States Government, may of the State, educational institutions, and over one hundred manufacturers participated. This year it is expected that the Congress will have an at tendance well over 5000, and in pre- paration for the exposition to be held in connection with the congress under the direction of Charles P. Light, Business Manager, the city is pre- pairing to erect temporary structures covering the entire street space on both sides of the auditorium and to close to traffic, during the entire Congress, a viaduct extending two blocks. Steps are now being taken toward securing favorable roalroad rates and committees are being form ed to provide for the comfort and entertainment of the congress which will include many of the most dis tinguished men of the nation.