Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-03-02
FIRST MEETING
OF new HIGHWAY
HELD AT SENECA
Members Talk Of Concrete
Roadway Through Central
Part of State; EnthuSi-
aSm at Banquet.

The FIRST annual meeting of the
Potash Highway association was
held on Tuesday February Is, at
Seneca, with over $50 delegates and
boosters present. The enthusiasm,
backed by action, displayed by the
western half of the state for good
roads is something wonderful to see
and hear. They are not content
with dirt roads out there. They are
talking a ten-foot strip of concrete
through the central part of the state.
Another plan to make feasible the
Potash highway is to pick up the
low spots where bad sand is en-
countered and build concrete cause
ways, especially for sections in
which dry-washes are encountered
Most of the Potash is marked, and
from the reports read and action
promised, this highway will go far
this year toward completion. As
sistant State Engineer Merrick, r.
]. Duttou, field manager of the
Potash; w. ID. Fisher, secretary; S.
f Snyth of the Omaha Auto club
and others gave talks on the road
game. The delegates were especial
ly pleased with the plan of selling
roads bonds In the home commun-
'ty, as explained by Secretary Smyth
of the Omaha Auto club. This plan
gives community hundreds of bond
holders, and therefore interested
persons who will also be inspectors
of what is being done on the road.
A banquet at which 800 sat down
in the evening was rendered by the
live wire merchants of Seneca. Mr.
Householder's talk in the afternoon
on concrete road building was one
of the interesting talks, as were also
Lay Higgins words on Nebras-
ka's forest reserves near Halsey.
Value of Touring Traffic.
This coming year is going to be
banner year in touring, The
whole country has been held in leash
so long that the highways will be
full with tourists.
Yellowstone Park on the west, the
natural objective of the highway,
is some 200 miles nearer via this
road than others, and mileage is
one thing tourist doesn't want to
buy too much of when going to
designated playground.
Produce and Bad Roads.
The Kearney Hub remarks thus:
AS a consequence of the poor roads
at present there is a decided scar
city of butter, eggs and other coun-
try produce"
The Hotel McCloud was recently
crowded with hundreds of good
roads boosters there to attend the
South Platte Meridian Highway
meeting. That section of the Merid-
ian road is being live ed up, and the
coming summer will see more good
work put on the highway than has
been expended for years.
Growth of Road Enthusiasm.
Since the Omaha Auto club had
the honor Of organizing the Ne
braska Good Roads association the
enthusiasm for good roads in the
state has grown and progressed
more in the past few months than
in the past five years. The wonder
ful meetings held by Alliance, Sid
uey, Chadron, Crawford and Seneca,
IN sections where the population is
thinnest, have stirred the pride in
The boosters in the eastern half of
the state, and we can look for rous-
ing meetings here in the next few
weeks! The encouraging thing about
the good roads meeting is the fact
that dirt roads receive scant atten-
lion and few boosters. Everyone
wants a hard road or a semi-hard
road, something of 365-day order
highway that will save money to the
Individual and the community every
day in the year. Nebraska is awake
to the fact that real road is a solid
( investment, paying dividends every
ime you travel it.
$4,000 Road Fund North Platte.
Over 100 business men of North
Platte city recently got together
around a banquet board and talked
good roads, and especially improv-
ng highways leading into the city.
Before getting down to the dessert
and the cigars something like
$4,000 was subscribed to place in a
fund for exit highways improvement.
This spirit is prevalent in many sec
tons Of the state.
A special fund is already raised
for road work the coming year
around Kearney. They are also talk
ing Of a few miles of concrete at
the edge Of town. Property own
ers are for it.
New Club Map.
The Auto club OF Omaha is hav-
ing printed a special edition of the
highway map Of Nebraska publish
ed by Clason Map company and
the edition will be distributed to the
members. New tour cards will very
likely be issued this year covering
more of the important routes.
Law Higgins of the Forest Re-
serve remarked TO Secretary Snlytn
Of the Auto club, while at Seneca,
attending the Potash Highway
meeting, that the reserve would be
clad to give trees for the purpose
81 identifying highways, A stretch
near the reserve at Halsey will. be
lned with trees this year. Mr..
Higgins is enthusiastic over the idea
and believes it would advertise the
state in a very commendable man
ner.