Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1919-08-29
CITY EXCEEDS /; QUOTA
OF memberships IN JEFFERSON
HIGHWAY AssN.-MEDA1.s
ts FOE ROAD WORK.

=
i FOB ROAD WORK.
Again Little Falls has gone cover
the top In the drive Tuesday and
Wednesday for memberships in the JEFF
ferson Highway Association under the
new plan. recently adopted for fnanc-
ing this organization, 5-year member
ships at $5 per year for each and
subscriptions to the official organ, the
Modern Highway, at 81 each, were Sc
cured::> The quota was Is memberships
and 250 subscriptions. j. D. Clarkson,
general manager of the association, was
here and supervised the campaign.
Mr.. Clarkson was at Randall Tuesday
morning and he secured excellent re-
suits there. Randall's quota was 13
memberships and 20 were secured in a
couple of hours. From Little Falls Mr..
Clarkson went to Royalton yesterday.
Monday Mr.. Clarkson came to Little
Falls and asked for a meeting Of citi-
zens to submit his proposition regarding
memberships in the Jefferson Highway
association. The meeting was held that
evening at the Elks' hall, about 80 men
attending.
First M. Clarkson told the gathering
Of the plan of the association to award
gold medals to road workers for the
best work done on the. highway all
along the route during the coming
years, in order to keep the highway in
the best possible shape for travel. At
the invitation Of the association the
Russell Grader Manufacturing Co. of
Minneapolis has agreed to supply the
medals, 100 in number. Mr.. Clarkson
explained the plan fully, saying that
there are three classes Of medals, 80
district medals to be awarded one in
each county, eight state or provincial
medals in each state or province and
two national medals to the two best
state or provincial winners. Each
medal must be won three times before
it becomes the permanent property OF
the winner. The awarding will be done
each fall. The winners of the state
medals will have their expenses paid to
the state convention in their state and
the winners of the national medals will
be given a free trip to the annual di-
rectors' meeting. At least two miles of
road must be maintained in order to
win medals. The first medals will be
awarded this fall.
The proposed Babcock plan Of high
ways in this state was touched on by
Mr.. Clarkson. To adopt this plan, he
said, would be to shift the investment
to make it pay. A great saving on the
operation and upkeep of motor vehicles
will be realized with the advent OF the
concrete road and it is of especial ben
eft TO the farmer. Mr.. Clarkson point
ed cut that in Illinois the city vote on
the trunk highway system was four to
one in favor Of it and the country vote
was FIVE to one for it.
Mr.. Clarkson next took up the new
plan Of financing the Jefferson High
way association. He said that the JET
ferson Highway is a franchise, an IN
vestment, because it controls the tour
ists He told Of conversations with
tourists from various states who had
been attracted by the Jefferson High
way and bought lands along its route
because Of the value added to the land
by reason of the proximity OF the high
way.
The Jefferson Highway Us at present
marked with $4,000 markers, Mr.. Clark
son said, and he added that it is the aim
Of the association to make this highway
the best marked in the country. A
crew of men are now working north
from headquarters at st. Joseph, Mo-,
putting on 10000 additional markers.
Danger signs will be put up all along
the route.
Speaking Of what such highway is
worth to a community the speaker
stated that the average cost of automo-
bile travel for a party of two or three
is $l.25 per hour. This is spent on the
| way, dropped a little here and little
there. There is a chance OF Little
Falls getting some Of this money, ne
said, and to emphasize that statement
he told the gathering that on that very
day he had in the short time of 20 min
utes seen seven cars of tourists come
into the city and park their cars along
the streets.
Arriving at his financing plan, Mr.
Clarkson said that for success the asso'
citation s work must be carried on IN
systematic way. When it was started
men came and gave large sums OF mon
ey to help take care Of the expenses
Then a mileage plan of getting funds
was adopted, each county contributing
according to the number Of miles OF
highway that traversed the county
This was very unequitable basis, the
speaker citing St. Cloud, in Stearns
county as an example, the highway
transversing only a corner OF Stearns
county but passing through the city OF
St. Cloud. Under the new franchise
plan the number of memberships to a
Community are based on population and
bank deposits. The memberships are
for FIVE years, at SIS per year. Each
community is also allotted certain
number Of subscriptions to the ottlc1al
| magazine, the Modern Highway. Mr.
Clarkson said that in every place where
membership campaign has been con.
Quoted more than the allotted NUMBER
of memberships and subscriptions to
the magazine have been taken. In
Kittson county the allotment was oo
and 90 were taken; in Clearbrook coun'
ty the allotment was IS and l54 were
taken. Mr.. Clarkson stated that the
oversubscriptions in each locality VIII
be expended by the association in e1'
ira publicity for that particular local