Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-06

tomobile Chamber of Commerce, was
unanimously elected president OF the
Permanent International Commission
at a meeting this morning. He will pre-
side throughout the congress. which will
be in session through Friday
Divided Into Sections.
The plenary session this afternoon
was preliminary to business meetings
which will be started tomorrow in two
sections, one devoted to the study OF
road construction methods. and the
other to questions of maintenance and
finance. These meetings will be held
in the Chamber of Commerce of the
United States. Later in the week this
| delegates officially accredited to the
congress by their respective govern
ments, will draw up formal conclusions
based on their studies and exchanges Of
information.
Typical of the conventions which the
congress studied, apart from the con-
illusions on technical subjects, was the
convention on the regulation of auto
motive traffic, which delegates from
| pan American countries planned to sign
| formally at the Pan-American Union
Building after the plenary session toe
| day. Delegates from the Latin Amer
| lean countries reached an agreement
| on the various articles Saturday and
| this afternoon were to take the first
formal step toward uniform control OF
traffic throughout the Western Henlis'
| phere.
Control of Traffic.
| The draft of the convention, which
was submitted to the Pan-American
Union in 1929, applies to all automotivf
traffic and recognizes that every state
has exclusive control over the use of
| its own highways It prescribeS that
| oil hofn dt,afce m inf
national traffic shall be registered in the
manner provided for by the state OF
| origin and that special international
registration marker shall be used. The
rule of the road is the same as recog-
nized in this country, that vehicles shall
pass on the right when meeting another
vehicle and to the left when overtak-
ing, and that all vehicles from the right
shall have the right of way.
In effect, the signing of the conven-
| ton was the first definite step toward
establishment of the proposed pam
American highway linking the repub-
lies Of North and South America, q
| proposal which has held first place In
the attention of Latin American road
men for several years. 1t was hoped
that time would permit consideration
Of the project today.
Work toward starting the highway was
begun early in the Summer when a
= group Oh engineers went 10 Ranana 10
! cooperate with highway officials and
| engineers of the Central American re-
| publics in a reconnaissance survey to de-
| termine the best routing of the proposed
highway.
Exhibit Of Machinery.
| In connection with the congress, the
American Road Builders Association
| has set up an elaborate demonstration
! OF bodybuilding machinery at the Audi
| forum, which will be opened tomorrow
after luncheon to the delegates given
Public Roads of the Agriculture Depart
ment whose chief, Thomas H. Mac
| Donald, is prominently connected with
| the congress, has arranged at the same
place an interesting group of models
showing the stages OF construction and
| machinery used in building the different
types of highway surfacing. Two models
showing the construction of the Mount
Vernon Memorial Boulevard at two i'm
portant locations are featured IN the
exhibit.
Mr.. Chaplin was named president
general of the congress and Thomas H.
| Macdonald, chief of the United States
secretary general at the meeting of the
congress governing body.
e. w. James, chief of the design Sec
| ton. of the United States Bureau OF
Public Roads, was awarded the prize
offered by the Permanent International
| Commission for the best essay on high
way administration, construction and
finance. The award was announced at
the pre-congress meeting of the COM
mission. at which it was decided to
hold the next meeting in Germany. Mr..
James essay was in competition with
scores OF papers submitted by experts
in this and other countries.
May Meet in Berlin.
The commission accepted the invita-
ton to meet in Germany by unanimous
vote. The city probably will be Berlin
| and the next Congress will be cons
vened in about four years, If the SEIZED.
ule Of meetings thus far held ID
followed.
Social events will figure largely in
the entertainment of the visitors and
several luncheonS and parties have been
arranged for the wives of the foreign
delegates.
An important event to all the dele
gates is the reception which President
and Mrs. Hoover have planned for.
Thursday at the White House. The
American Organizing Commission will
entertain the delegates at dinner
Thursday evening in the willard Hotel.
On Wednesday evening Secretary Stims
son will be the host at a reception In
the Pan American Union.
Four Languages Used.
Four languages will be employed I'd
enable the international gathering to
follow the proceedings During the ad-
dresses and reports at the section meets
ings interpreters will translate in
French, German, Spanish and English,
reading into miniature telephone sys-
TENS.
About rs women were here for the
congress, about 40 of who came as in
dividual members of the Permanent In
ternational Association. One woman,
Senhorita Carmen Portinho, is an off,
cial delegate, appointed by the Presi-
dent of the State of Rio Grande do
Notre, Brazil. Miss Carrie l.. Fuller, ex-
ecutive assistant to the chief of the
Bureau of Public Roads, is directing
their entertainment.
After the congress adjournS Friday
night 300 of the foreign delegates will
be taken on tours of inspection, to last
about 16 days, through various parts of
the country. Three tours, carrying
about 100 delegates each, with stats, in
Guiding interpreters, physician and
manager, will be sent out by the High
way Education Board, one through the
North Atlantic States, another through
the South Atlantic region and the third
through the seven States in the Mis-
sissippi Valley. All three tours will
converge on Detroit, where the menu
bers will be afforded the opportunity to
inspect automobile plants and traffic
conditions.