St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1920-08-21
CROWDS COME
TO CONVICTION
DISCUSS ROAD
MATTERS
Closed Meeting of Police
Jury Decides to Wait
For Developments.
OPEN MEETING
GETS NO FURTHER
Discussions Disconnected
and Unsatisfactory In
Getting Agreement.

The police jury exercised good
judgment when It decided to hold i
closed session in reaching decision
IN the CoVington-Hammon connec-
lion CT the Mississippi Valley High
way and the Salt Bayou road. Tho
Importance OF the matter required
calm deliberation. The losing Ut
$330,C00 of Federal aid would be a
Dlow to our road building very har1
to stand. The hard-surfacing OF the
salt Bayou road is another matter
requiring considerable investigat. .on,
ooth as to our liability under the
contract and The possibility that the
Maytield route would be adopted, as
mas later developed to be the case,
Judging by Major Kerr's letter, Whlih
Is printed herewith.
Tas discussion of important mat
ters in publis gatherings, without
the observance of parliamentary
rules OF order of any kind, always
fails OF it's purpose. The open meet
ing in the courtroom was unsatlS-
factoIy N every way and accomplish
ed nothing. 1t was finally decided
to communicate with the State High
way department and lind out what
would be the result of action bo,h
as to the Hammond connection and
the Salt Bayou road. A committee
of .hree from the police Jury, =
Marvin Poole, M. P. Schneider and
Emile Singletary, went to New Or
leans to consult Major Kerr, Mr.
Buie beng in California, to confer
with him and if possible to reach
some decision in the matter, but in
the meantime Major Kerr had al
ready written his letter in which he
selected the Mayfield route, having
been requested to make a selection
of routes. The police jury ad.
journed without taking any definite
actio1 and to await developments.
There were large delegations from
Madisonville, Slidell, Goodbee AMI
the Military Road. Madisonville anu
Slidell wanted the Hammond COO
nection cut out; Goodbee wanted 1t
to stand. Resolutions were passed
by the Madisonville Association or
Commerce asserting a preference for
the Ponchatoula connection and the
Covington Association of Commerce
passed resolutions favor.ng the Ham
mon1 connection. There was such
confusion at the meeting that reso-
lutions had little chance of being
read or any discussion carried on
connectedly enough for an under
standing of what really constituted
the arguments of anybody.
Mr.. E. G.. Davis, member of the
Road Commission, brought map
of the parish and pointed out the
various roads, their connections with
the original program and which II
would be possible to build or on
which contracts had been entered in
to or bids advertised for. The all
at-once discussions that followed did
not give any one man time to finish
what he intended to say.
The whole matter rests pretty
much where it was before the meet
ing.
Mr.. Grant reached Covington o.
| Thursday and attended meeting c.
! the Road Commission, but it is sac
that nothing further was accomplish
ed at that meeting.
There is talk of enjoin!ns tht
hardsurfacing of the Salt Bayo'
road, should this work be continued
On the other hand the contract ha!
been let and it is question of hoP
far there Is legal responsibility.