Paragould soliphone., 1922-08-14
LIGHT SESSION
 OF LONE STAR
 ROUTE MEETING
Talks Delivered Ky Visitors at Vandervoort Hotel Road May Be
 Built North.

The meeting of the Lone Star Route Club at the Vandervoort hotel last evening attracted very small percentage of the total membership of that organization, only fifteen or twenty of the $40 or more members of the club being present to hear the talks delivered by w. c. Will hite, of Alton, Illinois, secretary manager of the road, and T. s. Whitman, secretary of the Newport, Arkansas, Chamber of Commerce, who is devoting much attention to the undertaking of devising some plan by which the fiftymile gap in the transcontinental highway may be closed. That gap in the 1,590 mile stretch from Chicago to the Gulf of Mexico is through this section, all other portions of the ar tery either being completed or defi- nitely provided for completion.
 At last nights session MT. Will hite said he was going to continue in his efforts to induce the citizens of this section to realize the need for joining in the movement and have this community located upon the Lone Star, continue till every hope of encoura cement of support through this section disappears be- fore finally being forced to adopt some other route Il order to elimin- ate the fifty mile gap. He admitted that prospects were not altogethe CT encourag ging at times but, so thor oughly realizing the value of the citizens of this fertile section finally would yield to the dictates of their l better judgment and complete the road and be numbered among the other progressive sections of Lne na- tion. He pointed out the manifold l advantages enjoyed by community with good roads, the increased valua- 1 tion of lands, the ready and easy markets for produce thus afforded the advancement of higher concep- tions of citizenship generally, happi- ness and progress generally. MT Whitman, of Newport, also deliveed interesting remarks upon the same subject.
 An enthusiastic meeting was con. ducted at Lafe yesterday afternoon at two o'clock The citizens of that section seem to be gaining many re eruits to the good roads idea and l it is beginning to appear that the highway may be completed from the Clay county line south to Paragoult 1 in the near future, if plans out lined are carried into effect. It i. now planned to have the road buil of gravel. The citizens along tho route, it was proposed, are to elect their own commissioners and con duct the construction of the road ir the manner they regard as being equitable to all citizens concerned
 Between two and three hundred citizens attended the Lafe session and it was addressed by MT. Will hite, Mir Whitman and other wis itors. Several citizens from Para gould attended and participated il the meeting.
 At last nights session at the Van dervoort hotel it was decided to en gage the services of an engineer iron the State Highway Department tt visit the route between the Cla. county line and Paragould and mak, an estimate of the cost of grave road and to supply such other in formation that is required in arriv ing at all the facts in relation tt such matters. The engineer will b, engaged by citizens of the Lafe sec ton. The citizens residing in thu section through which the rOat would pass will then be informed as to- the total cost required, fol lowed by a final effort to get thu road built. It is hoped that tn, highway may at least be completed leading from Paragould north. Tn, engineer from the State Highway de partment likely will be sent herr sometime next week.
 Whether this section will talk, advantage of the Federal aid oppor tunity that is now open or defer thu good roads issue till the funds ar, exhausted and finally be deprived of the advantage now offered, re