New Britain herald., 1921-01-24
RHODE ISLAND HAS
 BEST OF HIGHWAYS
Leads Country in Good Roads
 -'' Construction

New York, Jan. 24.-Eastern states including New York and New Jersey, and particularly those of New Eng land, which lead the United States and Canada in the excellence of their roads. will come in for discussion at the big American Good Roads Con- gresa and National Good Roads show to be held at the Coliseum in Chi cago. February to 12 next, under the auspices of the American Road Builders association. according to an announcement made today by officers of the association at its New York headquarters.
 The interest in New England in the Chicago meeting will be particularly strong for the reason that the New England roads will be discussed as models for other states. Massachu- sets roads. especially, will come in for discussion for Massachusetts was a pioneer in the good roads movement and was the first state in the Union in which road surveys were made, the highways of the Massachusetts Bay Colony having been surveyed in 1889.
 Rhode Island leads the states of the Union in good roads with per- centage of 5S.S. Massachusetts is sec ond with 51.7 per cent. In New Jer-
 
 the whole is 30.3 and in New York it is 27.9.
 Eastern states, particularly Maine, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Yer mont have authorized county bond is- sues lately for road work amounting to $42,000,000, paving the way for a vast amount of road work during tho coming spring and summer that will afford relief for the condition of unemployment in which unskilled la bor in this part of the country now finds itself.
 The American Roads Builders as- sociation. the oldest and largest good road organization back of the move ment for better highways through out the United States and Canada has long been urging upon the leg islatures of the eastern states more extensive legislation in the interest of better highways. In this respect the association has had the moral support of the manufacturers and business interests naturally interested in improving marketing conditions and who advocate better highways as railroad feeders.
 The governors of New York, Penn sylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Con- necticut Vermont, Rhode Island. New Hampshire and Maine as we'll as those of all other states and the mayors of all eastern cities and the country at large are being asked by the governor of Illinois and the mayor of Chicago, respectively, to send official delegates to the con- gress.
 The meeting will bring together from every part or the county the practical and scientific men identified with highway construction and main tenance,-the men who will be re- sponsible for the expenditures of vast sums available for highway work. There they will discuss from every angle the many problems connected with the construction. administra- ton. financing and maintenance of national. state, county and city high ways.
 The exposition of labor-saving road-huilding and highway trans porta+io machinery and paving ma terials will occupy more than 10000 square feet of floor space. From the number of exhibits already entered, the show this year promises to sur pass by far in number and variety of exhibits the big exposition held by the association in former years at Pittsburgh, St. Louis. Boston. Cin- cinnati. Louisville and Indianapolis.