The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1916-09-21
DELEGATES ARE
SELECTED FOR
ROADS MEETING
County Association Names Fif
teen to go to CentraIia in
November
STATEHIGHWAYC CHIEFSPEAKS
Effort Will be Made to Increase the
Membership of County Or
ganization to Five Hundred

One of the first efforts which will
be put forth by the Benton County
Good Roads association in the inter-
ests of better roads in this county will
be to send a large delegation to the
annual meeting of the State Good
Roads association in Centralia in No
vember.
AS rule, the state legislature in
making road appropriations, follows
very closely the program as outlined
at these state meetings. For this rea-
son Benton county expects to make its
needs known at the Centralia meeting.
At the first annual meeting Of the
county organization in Richland last
Saturday fifteen delegates, five each
from the three commissioners dis
tricts, Were chosen to go to the state
meeting. The delegates selected are:
first district, S. j. Harrison, w. G.
Travis, w. A. Kelso, E. ]. o'Larey and
S. v. Tanning; second district: j. G.
Syfford, E. L. Salisbury, A. H. Wheat
on, DR.. j. j. Kowalski and B. P.
Lawrence; third district, E. w. Tren-
bath, F. r. Jeffrey, c. C. Williams,
A. r. Gardner and F. ]. O'Brien.
Saturdays meeting was addressed
by State Highway Commissioner Jas.
Allen, Of Olympia, who told something
of the states road building program.
He said it was the intention of the
state to build roads just as rapidly as
possible, but at the same time keep
within the bounds of the peoples abil-
ity to pay. He claims that if the pres
ent program is followed up Washing
ton will within a few years have the
best system Of good roads Of any state
in the Union and will have them paid
for.
He explained that in most counties
he states plan Of building the high
way grades and leaving the surfacing
to the counties had worked out sue
cessfully. Unfortunately the plan
las not worked well in this county be-
cause the county did not have the
funds to follow up the states work.
C. T. Jordon, engineer of the state
highway department, was also a
speaker. He said the term "per-
manent highway" was misleading.
"Most people," said Mr.. Jordon, "think
permanent highway is a completed
Highway, but the term as used by the
state highway department really
means a permanent location for a
highway. 1t means the route is def
initely fixed and will not be changed.
When so fixed it is then known as a
permanent highway altho its construc-
tion may not have been even COM
menced. Oftentimes the county can
render the state valuable service in
aiding us to secure right of way for
these permanent highways"
Mr.. Jordon said much money could
be saved in county road construction
by the organization of county road
crew under an experienced and prac-
tical foreman. This crew should be
moved from place to place in the
county wherever roads were to be
built. This plan, he said, would prove
much more satisfactory than hiring
men and teams at random.
F. r. Jeffrey outlined the objects
and purposes of the county associa-
tion and urged the people not only to
become members but to take an active
interest in its affairs.
r. E. Pratt, republican candidate
for commissioner in the third district
and E. c. Houston, republican candi-
date in the second distric, spoke in
favor of tie county association. s. j.
Harrison, of Benton City and Gordon
Moores, republican nominee for rep
resentative, We're also speakers.
The association at present has
membership of only about rs but plans
have been perfected for conducting a
membership campaign in which it is
hoped the membership can be IN
creased to five hundred.
As means of publicity the asso-
citation has adopted neat lapel but
ton which is to serve dual purpose.
1t is to be the official emblem of the
association anda receipt for the an
nual dues of $1.00.