The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-10-22

ing good roads in all parts of this sec ton.
 Making fine progress on central and southern national highway.
 "Ashevile-C Charlotte highway and Ashe- ville-Spartanburg highway, tapping na- tional highway at Charlotte and Spartan burg, almost completed 4
 Greetings to the Alabama good roads builders and advocates were also tele- graphed by the Asheville Board of Trade, through it's secretary, N. Buckner.
 Governor Speaks
 Constitutional revision allowing coun- ties to fix higher rate of taxation for public road building; the amendment of the state motor vehicle laws so as to place that department under the super vision of the highway commission. and the establishment of trunk line of roads throughout the state were advocated by the governor of Alabama today in his speech before the eighteenth annual con vention of the Alabama Good Roads as- sociation, which convened in Montgomery this morning for a three-days' session.
 The governors address was delivered before several hundred delegates in at- tendance on the convention. and elicited warm praise. He declared that in after years he would look back with pride on the progress made in road building dur ing his administration, and predicted that the time would shortly come when Ala bama would be well in the front of southern states in the system of public highways.
 He stated that he would advocate in his message to the legislature an amendment to the state motor vehicle laws by which the entire revenues derived from that de- partment would be put under the juris- dction of the state highway commission for use on the public roads
 Fulfills Purpose
 ''rhe state highway commission has fulfilled the purpose for which it was cre- ated," the governor declared "The de- by concentration of authority and unity of action, but 1t has been also shown that the department has been greatly ham pered by the reason of the fact that it has not had enough money at it's dis posal
 There is no reason why every cent of the money received from the sale of mo- tor vehicle licenses should not be used on the public roads, and I shall advocate that disposition of all such funds at the next session of the legislature. The motor vehicle department Is now receiving about S15000o annually, and. after all ex- penses had been deducted, as we'll as enough money for the expenses of the highway department, there would be left about 75 per cent which could be used on the highways of the state"
 The governor declared that road build ing was a science, and that no money should be expended on roads until the road had been surveyed and laid out by competent engineer.
 Favorable Auspices
 The good roads convention opened under favorable auspices. Several hundred dele gates from all parts of the state were present when the meeting was called to order by President John Craft of Mobile and others arrived during the morning session.
 The convention was called to order at the county courthouse at II o'clock, when Mayor William A. Gunter. Jr.. made a welcome address on behalf of the city He was followed by Bruce Kennedy, sec retary of the Chamber of Commerce, who welcomed the convention visitors on be- half of that organization.
 Following the governors address. Presi- dent Craft made his annual address. The president of the association told of the progress that had been made in road building in Alabama since the last session of the association, and gave great praise to the state highway department for the excellent work done under its super vision.