Imperial Valley press., 1923-01-05
BOOSTER URGES
COMPLETION OF
GOOD HIGHWAY
Col. Fletcher in Address
Stresses Bankhead
Highway
HOltville - Yuma Road
Should Be Finished
First of All

Addressing a meeting of Imperial
Valley citizens at the Chamber Oh
Commerce yesterday afternoon, Col
onel Ed. Fletcher of San Diego, who
stopped over in this city on his way
east to boost for the Bankhead
Highway, advocated the formation
of an organization composed OF eV'
erv Chamber of Commerce between
San Diego and New Orleans, along
the route of the highway, to provide
funds for the maintenance of an act
i've publicity man and a special pub
licity organization, which would
bend every effort to bring before
eastern tourists the southern route
to California and induce them to
make the western trip via the Bank
head Highway.
Stating that FL Paso is the gate
way to California, Colonel Fletcher
emphasized the necessity of main
tanning u strong organization there
to circulate propaganda among east
ern tourists through the medium of
hotels, garages, service stations and
camping grounds to bring the Bank
head Highway route to their atten-
ton He stated that approximately
60 per cent of the eastern tourists
coming here are prospective settlers
and it is vitally important that these
| people be provided with good route
clear to the coast. Later the scope
4! of the work can be extended further
east so that tourists who do not in
tend to settle in the west may be-
come used to making the western
| trip via the southern route in the
winter and return via the northern
route in the summer. and vice versa.
Holtville- Yuma Road Vital
As one of the most important
| things confronting California, Col
onel Fletcher pointed out the neces-
sity of providing good road be
tween Holtville and Yuma. He
stated the recent contract let by the
state for the construction of pave
ment between the present pavement
| and the plank road, and through the
Indian reservation, means that only
a short stretch of highway will re-
main unpaved between the two cit
| les, and this, he believed, should be
paved before any other paving is
| done in Southern California. Then
the road between Haltville and Ell
Centre could be placed in good con
dition, or paved, if possible. AS all
Southern California would benefit
greatly by having the gateway road
in good condition, so, he believed,
other places should be content to
wait until this gateway road is fin
ished, before doing any local paving.
The defeat of the Arizona bonds
providing for the construction of a
| highway between Phoenix and
Blythe, which would carry eastern
| tourists into California without
bringing them through Imperial Val
| ley or the southern counties, means
that golden opportunity is pre-
sented to the southern counties, who
| should work together and keep ev-
erlastingly at it until the highway
has been completed, stated Colonel
| Fletcher. He maintained that the
Bankhead Highway will attract the
majority of tourists if given enough
publicity, as it is the only transcon-
tinental highway that can be trav-
eled all the year round, and is the
! shortest route between the Atlantic
and Pacific coasts, and further stat
ed that it is up to the business men
| living along this route to see that it
gets the necessary publicity.
All in Favor of Plan
| Colonel Fletcher asked for criti