The weekly soliphone., 1917-05-31
PLAN ROAD WORK
 FOR THE SUMMER
Senator Alexander Issues Call From Memphis For Coordination
 Of Enterprises.

tHc DdIHeI year III AIhdHodo lOdu building, Senator E. E. Alexander of Blytheville, Ark, an attorney and the author of the Alexander road law, president of the Arkansas Good Roads and Drainage Associa- tion, has called meeting of the association in Little Rock in June. Senator Alexander issued the call from Memphis last night, after con ferring with road builders and ad- vocates who attended a prelimi- nary meeting here.
 The importance of stressing the coordination bewteen road building and agricultural preparedness, and road building and military efficien- cy will be laid before the associa-
 Good roads, Senator Alexander de- ton then.
 clared, never had the impetus that now is featuring highway develop ment in his state.
 "Arkansas is taking a position of pl III ioot piouuttiobJ said Senator Alexander, "and the mobilizing of the state militia and the locating of the officers train ing school at Fort Roots has made of it a new factor in the military life of the nation. These two things, under present conditions in the United States, go hand in hand. We believe we are going to show a more substantial contribution to the agricultural welfare of the country than ever before. Probably no other state has got away to such an early start in the matter of rais- ing food products.
 "The railroad situation, with it's demand for men, and it's shortage of cars, will produce an entirely new condition in all the states with regard to agricultural values at the end of the season. unless suitable substitute transportation is provid- ed whereby auxiliary means can be used to transport products to the railroad centers, and for use in short hauls.
 ROADS BIG FACTOR.
 ."There is nothing that provides this means quite so well as the au- tomobile. The man who lives with in 30 miles of a city virtually is within the city if he has an auto mobile and is located upon a good he has behind him all the produc tivity of the country, and this year farm production is going to be the vital factor in American eco homie life.
 "To get the greatest good from the automobile, as a substitute for the railroad transportation, good roads must be developed to their utmost. There now is being con- structed in Arkansas, under the provisions of the Alexander road law, more than $6,000,000 worth of highways. In addition to this, plans are under way for the Mem phis to Little Rock highway, to form a part of the Bankhead Ma tional highway, a Little Rock to Hot Springs highway, one from Lit tie Rock to Texarkana and a road from Little Rock to the Louisiana line, through the southeastern coun- ties.
 Arkansas will receive $1,250,000 from the federal good roads fund This has been apportioned and dis trict work will be augmented great ly by this stimulus. A five-year building program has been outlined under the bill passed in the last legislature in which all money re ceived from the automobile license fund, $10 for each year, will be put into the highway fund to meet the terms of the Shacllleford na- tional law. Drainage projects which now are nearing completion in the eastern part of the state will add new territory to the pro ducing areas and then there will follow a renewed effort of road building in that section"
 The Alexander road law, passed by the Arkansas legislature in 1915, provides for the creating of sys- tenn of road improvement districts upon application to the state high way commission of a majority of the residents of proposed highway district.
 Until the passing of the law highway development work by dis tricts was held back by the refusal of bond companies to purchase the securities of the districts, as often before the courts would throw out districts after the bonds had been sold and a part of the money spent
 The Alexander road law en- forces an airtight contract upon tho property owners of the dictl!ct tvn. cerned. District work in Arkansas was in much the same condition as district road work in. Tennessee which has been impaired greatly by