Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-08
MUCH WORK AWAITS
A. A.A. CONVENTION
Policies as to Highways,
Safety and Vehicle Tax
to Be Fixed.

The twenty-ninth annual convention
of the American Automobile Association,
composed of more than 1000 motor
clubs in the United States and Canada,
will be held in Asheville, N. c., June
20 and 81.
With this announcement from Amer
lean Automobile Association national
headquarters today was coupled the pre-
diction that because of changes in the
election machinery of the national mo-
toring body, whereby each member club
is entitled to one counselor at the con-
vention and an additional counselor for
every 1000 members this would be the
largest and the most representative
gathering in the history of organized
motordom in America.
In addition to the formulation of mo-
toring and travel policies, the conven-
ton will elect national officers and d.
rectors and an executive committee for
the years 1880 and 1881. The officers to
be elected are: President, seven vice
presidents secretary and treasurer. The
entire membership of the board of direc-
tors will be voted on, which in turn will
elect the executive committee, the gov
erning authority of the organization In
the intervals between board meetings.
who has piloted the American Automo-
bile Association for many years, asserted
today that while the agenda of the con-
ference has not as yet been completed,
he felt that national highways, safety
and motor vehicle taxation would loom
large in the program of motoring poll
cies on which the convention would act.
He said:
cat our last annual convention we
I,ooda daplo ti0n In favor 0f
free express highways. In view OF the
increasing congestion on our highways,
the development of national program
to make this commitment effective Is
urgently necessary.
1T was at our 1929 convention that
the movement started to increase Fed
eral-aid appropriations from SIS, 1000. 900
to $125, 600 900 year. In giving effect
to this motoring policy, Congress has
given great impetus to the effort of the
States to complete the Federal-aid sys-
tenn. AS road matter and as an eco
nomic matter, this policy should be
continued.
THE question Of toll highways and
toll bridges continues to attract national
attention. We have every reason to be-
lieve that the country Is solidly with us
in our determination to keep the high
ways free and to throw such safe
guards around toll bridges as will, at
least, prevent overcapitaliZation and as
sure their eventual return to free public
use.
Our highway widening committee, of
which Charles M Hayes of Chicago is
chairman, has made an intensive study
of the problem OF congestion, particu-
larry as 1t affects the bottle-neck APP
proaches to our metropolitan areas. /
expect important recommendations from
this committee to come before the con-
vention.
"One of the difficult phases Of road
policy pertains to conditions in the Far
West. There are now pending before
Congress several important measures af-
fecting this vast area. refer to such
measures as the bill providing that the
Federal Government assume RESPONSE
bility for the building Of main highways
through unappropriated land in the
public land States, the bill providing for
the construction of forest roads and the
bill authorizing the Department of In
terror to maintain roads approaching
the national parks.
Because of the success of three
movements foStered by the A. A. A.,
namely, the safety-reSponsibility law,
safety education in the school room and
child protection through the school boy
patrol, safety is due to occupy a pfomi-
nent place on the program of the con-
VenClOn. our Sa1ety-reSpOnS1D1llty COM
mittee, OF which Owen B. AugSpurger of
Buffalo is chairman, will meet in AShe-
vile the day before the convention and
will in all probability report to the con-
vention minor amendments to the law.
THE whole country is interested in
the report Of our national committee
on motor vehicle taxation, appointed a
year ago. The subject is so complex
that the committee can do little more
than make preliminary report at this
time, but I am inclined to believe that
its study has already gone far enough
to show conclusively that the car own
ers are paying an undue portion of the
Nations road bill and that the situation
now calls for the development of a
formula that will assure fiscal justice
to our largest class of taxpayers.
THE convention goes to Asheville at
the invitation of the Carolina Motor
Club, one of the largest and most in
fuential units in the A. A. A. In Sc
lecting Asheville we had also in mind
the fact that organized motordom has
been increasing its membership and in
huence in Southern territory in recent
years Charles S. Wallace, president of
the Carolina Motor Club, and Coleman
w. Roberts, vice president and general
manager of the club, will be hosts to
the convention, the headquarters OF
which will be at the Grove Park Inn"
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