Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1921-05-05
NORTH STATE HIGHWAY ROAD
BOOSTERS GATHER IN MEXICO

One hundred and fifty delegates at
tended the opening session of the
North Missouri Cross State Highway
Association meeting in the county
court house Tuesday. Representatives
were present from all the eleven coun.
ties on the route.
Mayor j. w. Gallaher, in his address
of welcome, said he was especially
glad to address good roads meeting
since much of his administration
would be devoted to improving the
local streets.
H. Frank Holman of Moberly, Pres
ident of the Association, responded,
telling of the big things before the
convention and urging insistent eff
forts to make the State realize the
needs of more aid to roads in these
counties.
Over two hundred sat down to the
luncheon at the Hotel Hoxsey at noon
Tuesday. Col. E. Y. Burton, president
Of the Audrain Chamber Of Commerca
was master of ceremonies. The crowd
had marched to the Hoxsey from the
Court House behind the Missouri Mill
tary Academy band and before taking
their seats stood while the band play
ed The Star Spangled Banner and the
Rev. Emerson pronounced the invoca-
ton.
The M. M. A. quartette sang sell
ection and then Capt. Moore led the
gathering in singing "Snappy, Happy
Mexico" The song follows:
There are towns that make US
snappy,
There are towns that make US blue.
There are towns that steal away
away your pepper
Like the sunbeam steals away the
dew.
There's town that has the great
est future,
It's the best of all the towns you'll
5.5
And that town, it's coming like o
cyclone,
Mexico-o-the town for me.
Judge C. A. Barnes was toastmas-
ter and in a few well chosen remarks
introduced Senator J. D. Hostetter.
who recently returned from trip
East with the Ralph Legislative COM
mittee inspecting road buildings.
Among other things Senator Hos
letter said were:
That Senator Ralph and his COM
mittee learned much that will be val
liable to the state during their trip.
Among other things was the fact that
it would be great mistake no to have
the best type of men on the non-par-
tisan highway commission. These men
did not have to be high salaried men
but it was most important that the
Highway Engineer in charge of the
state work be the best procurable and
to get this type of man he would have
to be paid well. 1t would be a mis-
take to get cheap man who did not
understand road building.
He stated that the people should not
contribute to any organization who
was collecting funds to be used in q
campaign to finance a move for q
certain type of road or certain system.
He said this was mistake and should
not be done.
He stated that the highway depart
ment Washington toldthe committee
that the only way the State of Mis-
souri, could get it's share of the 100 mil
lion Federal aid each year would be to
: build permanent highways. He said
this did not mean dirt roads. That
the government would sometimes give
federal aid to a dirt road to put in
permanent improvements such as
bridges and establish grade provided
arrangements were being made al
that time to have the road perman-
emily surfaced.
He further stated that Washington
told them that Federal aid would mo-
be extended unless the State Highway
Y Commission had full charge of al
road funds.