The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-09-09
Mass Meeting Endorses State Highway BiH And
 Good Roads Bond Issue
Organize for Fight Against
 Amendments, That Would
 Deprive Alabama of $5,- 100000 Federal Appropri- ation - Keller Explains Necessity for Quick Action

l J
 Without single dissenting
 vote the mass meeting las
 night held under the joint aus
 pices of the Chamber of Con-
 merce and the Birmingham
 Automobile club went on rec
 ord as indorsing both the st.. tte
 highway good roads bill with out amendments and the pro- posed bond issue for an inn
 proved highway system for this state.
 A committee was named to call on every civic organiza- ton in Jefferson county with a view to enlisting their coop
 eration in a statewide cam paign to insure for Alabama
 the $5,OO0,OOO federal appro-
 priation, which will be lost to
 Alabama if the present legis-
 lature fails to pass the state
 highway bill or so amends it
 as to tie the hands of the state
 highway department.
 The committee which was named in accordance with unanimously adopted resolution is composed of
 Henry Dozier, chairman; Dr. c. w.
 Shropshire, Wallace Caldwell, A. J. Arrant and A. c. Crowder. Convinced that prompt action was required to organize hurry-up campaign, MT.
 Dozier called a meeting of this con- mittee for 10 o'clock this morning in the offices of the Rotary club at the Hotel Tutwiler. At this meeting plans will be formulated, and every civic organization in Birmingham will be called on to cooperate.
 1 The Birmingham Chamber of Com- merce was requested to carry the good roads fight into the other coun- ties of the state and in accordance with the request of the meeting, will write each Chamber of Commerce in Alabama asking them to urge their county representatives to support the highway bill without amendment. Sid Lee, president of the Alabama
 Highway Improvement association, pre- sided at the good roads rally, which was
 one of the most enthusiastic gatherings | of hiS oh "a pt Representatives were on hand from the l Chamber of Commerce, Rotary club, l Civitan club Kiwanis and Community club.
 l BILL COMES UP THIS WEEK | It was brought out at the meeting | that the highway bill would come up in
 the house for action Thursday or Friday | of this week, at which time it was l urged that a representative delegation should be present, representing not only l Jefferson county, but every section of 1 the state.
 w. & Keller, state highway engineer,
 who hurried to Birmingham from Mont | gomery on the afternoon train to be present at the meeting. told the good | roads advocates that if the present leg l islature failed to pass the highway bill,
 Alabama would be the only state in the union which had failed to assent to the 1 federal plan. It was preposterous MT. | Keller said. to think that Alabama
 would consider allowing an opportunity of this kind to pass when every other state was using every effort to insure | the federal donation.
 1 q am very glad said Mir. Keller, fol- lowing his introduction by Chairman 1 Lee, "to have this opportunity to blow | off little. We have been working down there under considerable pressure, 1 "In the beginning I want you to get it | clear that there are two companion bills, the state highway bill. which re- peals the present bill and offers an eff fective working plan and the state bond 1 issue. for good roads, which allows tho 1 people of Alabama to say whether the | revenue from auto licenses will go to
 the creation of sinking fund for state i highways.
 1 "At this stage of the fight for good 1 roads in Alabama I feel I should en- tighten, as far as I am able to do so. | the people of the state on the danger which confronts the highway depart ment To do this it is necessary for me
 to explain the origin of the present state highway bill now pending in l Congress.
 THE BANKHEAD BILL
 sometime before Congress passed the Bankhead law. giving federal aid to l the states the state highway commis- | sion became convinced that something more substantial than demonstration work. as provided for in the original state highway law, should be done for the state as well as for each individual | county. The late Commissioner Ky lance and myself were instructed tf 1 draft a new law which would provide for the use of funds derived from state automobile licenses in the building or a 1 system of roads which would link every county seat and town in Alabama. Be-
 fore this bill was prepared the Bank head bill granting aid to the states from the government through the high way departments became law.
 Now the Bankhead bill has pro- l vision which requires every state to as- sent to the federal plan giving federal l aid at the first regular session of Its 1 Legislature. It is up to Alabama now to assent to the federal aid plan. If Ala bama fails to pass the state highway
 bill it means that Alabama will not re ceive one cent of .he federal appropria- : ! tion. In that event Alabama will be the only state in the union left out. and l that appropriation will be lost to us for all time
 "The highway bill was submitted to the recess committee and with few ! minor amendments added was unani- mously approved. Socn after the re- converirg of the legislature tho senate passed the bill unanimously without de- bate A companion bill to the senate I--------------- -