The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-02-26
ROADS COMMITTEE
NAMED BY PETERS
Vacancies on Special Body
for Inspection of High
ways Is Named
POLICY IS OUTLINED
Chamber of Commerce Head
VIII Make Effort to Ex-
tend County System

The development OF the Tulsa
county system OF highways is one
OF the most important projects under
operation in Tulsa county at this
time" said President Peters OF the
Tulsa Chamber OF Commerce, in dis
cussing local affairs with members
OF the press.
Continuing Mr.. Peters said: 'The
Tulsa plan of operation and coop
Grafton is. think unique in the his
tory Of road building. The Tulsa
Chamber of Commerce, In 1915, con-
ceived the idea of hard d-surfaoed
system of roadways for Tulsa coun-
ty under a bond issue and without
giving any publicity at that time 20
the proposed project established a
highway department. through which.
under the direction of Cyrus s.
Avery and II. Bee Guthrey. good
roads propaganda was disseminated
throughout the county and every
voter educated up to the necessity of
good roads.
Launch Bond Issue Campaign.
After a number of months, and
when the time seemed appropriate, a
special Chamber of Commerce COM
mittee conferred with the board OF
county commissioners and proposed
plan In substance as follows: II
the county commissioners would
agree that a Chamber of Commerce
committee should meet with the
county officials and have record
vote In all matters pertaining to the
location of improved roads, the typo
OF construction, the award of con-
tracts and the supervision of con-
N lNA. 20
would finance n bond issue CAM
paign and undertake to get a mini
mum of S1,700,000 Immediately avail
able for highway construction. The
county commissioners agreed to this
plan and following that agreement
the county commissioners, the coun-
~ engineer and a Chamber of Com
merce committee, consisting of
seven, visited Washington, getting all
available information in the depart
ment of agriculture about improved
highways, continued the tour to AL
bany. n. Y, making an inspection
Of the New York state highways, and
on to Detroit, where the Wayne
county. Michigan, road work was
under construction, returning after
a l3.day trip with a very compre-
&ensive idea of what Tulsa county
needed. BY mutual agreement be-
tween the committee and the COM
missioners a road man OF the county
was made and the paved highways
plated thereon. Complete informa-
ton relative to the type OF roads, as
Wen as the location. was then an
nounced to the voters of Tulsa coun-
" ana the campaign begun for a
bond issue.
"The result OF this campaign was
an affirmative vote in the city of
Tulsa of more than 16 to 1 and an
affirmative vote of about to
throughout the county for $1,70O,-
0OO. After the bonds were voted
the committee and the commission
ers advertised for bids. awarded con-
tracts and construction work was
begun. Up to January, 566 miles
OF concrete highways had been COM
pleted. at cost of $1,635,936 and
there was at that time an additional
Sl'3Z miles under contract for the
contract price of s879,203.21. BY
reason of the method of handling the
highway construction work in Tulsa
county the United States government
mas given to this county in federal
aid money s6S0.000. this being EN-.
braced in federal aid project No. 10.
Inc amount or money given to Tulsa
county by the government, as above
stated, is sufficient to take care of
me operating expenses of the Tulsa
chamber of Commerce for probably
70 years and would In itself alone
Justify the claims OF the Chamber
Oh Commerce to the active financial
ana personal support OF every citizen
In the county.
Work Bears Inspection.
The members of the Chamber
OF Commerce committee were J. M.
Berry, chairman; r. NJ. McFarlin,
~ w. Sinclair. Grant r. Mccullough
and c. #. Hopkins, with Clarence
y, Douglas secretary of the COM
mittee.
THE first contract was awarded
10 Frye and Son, who built the road
from Tulsa to the cemetery east and
from Tulsa to Sand Springs. In all
OK the development of highway con-
struction TO date there has been no
scandal, no injunction proceedings,
no charge OF graft, but on the con-
trary there has been an intelligent