Evening star., 1923-06-03
WALLACE TO MAKE DECISION
I ON UTAH ROAD CONTROVERSY
Lincoln Highway Association Points Out
Importance Of Link to Complete
Coast-to-Coast Route.

Secretary of Agriculture Henry c.
Wallace has announced that he ex-
poets to reach decision in connection
with the federal-aid project in west
ern Utah in the near future. He Is
now carefully considering the reports
of the government engineers, data
presented for his consideration by the
Lincoln Highway Association and the
material presented to him at the
hearing held in his office recently, at
tended by representatives of the Lin
coin Highway Association and the
sstates Of Utah. Nevada and California
all parties directly interested in his
Forthcoming ruling.
Perhaps nowhere else in the United
States exists short section of high-
way Of such great Importance as that
link in the Lincoln highway just west
of Salt Lake City. The topography
of the mountains. the location OF the
passes and deserts has made Salt Lake
City the real gateway to the racine
coast, and has put the state of Utah
in a position to largely control the
immense flow of through traffic head
ing for a thousand miles of the PACING
coast north of the Mexican border.
Utah Controls Destiny.
Whether Utah does or does not
build roads controls the destination
of tremendous volume OF transcon-
tinental travel. The lack of any sat
isfactory road across the Great Salt
Lake desert, west of Salt Lake CITY,
has for years been the main barrier
to the free flow of through traff1c.
The lack Of sach road explains Cali
fornia's vital interest in the problem
now confronting the federal govern
ment.
Nevada. that great state lying i'm
mediately west of Utah and tra-
versed by all routes leading to the
Pacific coast south of Portland, Ore,
and north of the Grand Canyon. has
a tremendous interest in the Utah
problem. The Lincoln Highway AS
sociation. which for ten years has
been endeavorin- to bring into being
States and meeting it's only real op-
position in Utah. has had much to
say on the subject. which its officials
have studied carefully for years.
Caused Hearing Here.
Utah's refusal to designate the
Lincoln highway between Salt Lake
City and the Nevada line as a por-
tion of it's federal-aid system and
announced intention of abandoning
the Lincoln highway in western
Utah-for without federal aid she
cannot construct or maintain 1t
resulted in the recent hearing held
here before the Secretary and the
head officials of the bureau of public
roads of his department.
That the hearing was of nation
wide Importance was indicated by the
national interest taken in 1t and by
the important figures who appeared
before the Secretary to argue for or
against the stand the state of Utah
has taken in the matter. While the
problem revolves around the con-
struction of comparatively short
section of the road on the desert of
section Of road controls a through
traffic yearly growing in Importance.
Originally Endorsed by State.
The Lincoln, Highway Association
was represented at the hearing by
It's president. J. Newton Gunn presi-
dent of the United States Tire Com
pany, New York city, and by two of
Its ex-presidents. Henry B. Joy of De-
troit and F. A. Seiberiing of Akron,
Ohio, president of the seiberling
Rubber Company. The latter was
president of the Lincoln Highway AS
sociation at the time the state of Utah
contracted with the association to
build the road now under discussion.
and was instrumental in providing
the funds which the association con-
tributed to the state under the con-
tract ir connection with this work.
celoering personally contributed $685.
600 toward the construction in 1918
and procured $4,000 more from the
company of which he was then
presid. mt. the Goodyear Tire and
Rubber Company of Akron. Henry b.
JOY was president of the Lincoln
Highway Association at the time the
route was laid out in the west. He
outlined to Secretary Wallace the
basic principles which controlled the
location of the highway in the in
terest of through traffic. as well as
the cordial Endorsement which the
location originally selected in Utah
received under administration of Gov.
Spry of Utah and of Gov. Simon Bam-
berger, who was governor wnen the
state contracted to finish the highway.
Others present representing the Lincoln
Highway Association included Austin F.
Bement. vice president and secretary of
the orga nization. and Gael S. Hoag, field