Arizona republican., 1918-06-09
BLUE BOOK SCOUTS
 FIND NO HIGHWAYS
 BETWEEN BIC CITIES

In what measure the vast crops of scouts, pathfinders and data experts of the automobile blue books work toward good roads development is known to few of the many thousands Of motorists who annually tour by their printed instructions.
 Eleven months in the year. these men are the Christophers Columbus of touring. They are explorers. seek ing the best roads, but finding the bad roads as well, so that tourists may know the best way to go from anywhere to somewhere else. They search out the treacherous, impass- able road with as much care as though it were a new boulevard high way. For them, which way the tour lst should not go is as important as what road is newest and best. And so, while they chart which roads are finest, they make it obvious for the | blue book tourist what roads are ex- pensive in the operating cost of his car, in tire, fuel and general me- chanical efficiency
 l No Proper Highway Early last summer a party of these scouts, marking the route between l two principal cities a hundred miles apart, fund, as in previous years, there still was no proper highway. Rutty, stony dirt road, almost inl- passable in wet weather, was the ! only available trail
 | They spent several days visiting in large towns on what should have been the main route. But nothing could be done with the boards of trade or chambers of commerce. In almost every instance, the county powers winked knowingly and said that there would almost certainly be "a government post road comin through here pretty soon,' and re- fused, therefore, to be interested even though they admitted the value of improved road as a feeder for pro- duce ard provision markets.
 The blue book scouts held a coun- cil of war. The big towns were nope less. The small towns were not logical. They seemed not suffl- ciently prosperous to afford the nec- essary expense.
 Nevertheless, they visited the smal , towns and arranged, after some diff ficulty, for a mass meeting of tho farmers. When the conclave wa: , held. the blue book experts laid tho proposition before them.
 : Vote to Improve Roads
 After a discussion of three hours during which hundreds of question: were answered, the farmers voted tt improve this road themselves, eacr being responsible for a certain par of the work of reclamation. and al of it to be done according to a com mon plan.
 In the spring of this year. agair charting the roads mentioned fo the 1918 blue books. the unimprovet route through the larger towns wa found to be as before.
 The lesser route, built by tn farmers themselves, was being mad over, many sections in concrete. 1 is now a vital section of highway numerous new hotels are built o under way, the population of tn towns show tremendous increas and thousands of motorists, route through this better highway by tn blue book, have virtually forced tn construction of hotels garages, store: all of which are waxing prosperous a a result of the building of the nel road.
 The elimination of the railroads a essential factors in the shipment C farm products. because of the ne'
 highway, has caused a huge deman
 for motor trucks and farmers are en
 toying a prosperity never befor
 known in that section.