Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-07-15
Governors 10 Study
Highway Plan; Pick
Kennon as Leader
By Gould Lincoln
Star sioff Correspondent

BOLTON LANDING. N. z.
July Is. - The conference Of
Governors headed home today.
after adopting q resolution to
study President EisenhoWer's
recommendations for $50 billion
grand plan" for highway inn
proyement and electing, through
its executive committee a pro-
Eisenhower Democratic Cover
nor as its 1855 chairman.
The Presidents highway pro-
gram, presented to the confer
ence by Vice President Nixon.
aroused both criticism and favor.
The criticism came from Gov
ernors who declare emphatically
that the Federal Government.
should leave road building and
gasoline taxes exclusively to the
States. It was favored by Gov
errors who maintain that the
Federal Government must have
a hand in transcontinental high
way planning and must continue
Federal aid to States in which
great areas are owned by the
Federal Government.
The conference, however, .ex-
pressed its pleasure that the
President had indicated his will
ingneSs and determination to
work with the States on the
highway problem. Its Executive
Committee, after studies have
been completed, will call a Spe-
cial meeting of the conference
to meet with Federal officials to
discuss the subject. No place
was specified for the meeting,
but the presumption was that it
would be in Washington, D. c..
KennOn Selected.
The selection of Gov. Robert
F. Kennon OF Louisiana to be
chairman for the next year was
in keeping with the practice of
the Governors conference to al
ternate Democratic and Repub-
lica1 Governors as chairman.
Gov. Dan Thornton of Colorado,
Republican, was the 1854 chair
man.
However. the fact that Gov.
Kennorl supported Gen. Eisen-
hover over Adlai Stevenson two
years ago brought criticism from
some Of the Democrats, IA Of
whom attended the conference
and 10 of whom supported Mr..
Stevenson. The executive COM
mittee which picked Gov. Ken
non is composed of 1ive Demo-
cratic and four Republican
Governors. The Democrats are
Kennon, Aronson of Montana;
Donnelly of Missouri: Wetherby
Of Kentucky. and Stanley of Vir-
GINA. The Republicans are
Boggs OF Delaware; Craig Of In
diana; Langlie of Washington
and Stratton of Illinois.
The final business session of
the conference heard an adj
ministration estimate Of the eEos
nonnic situation In the United
States which placed the country
safely over the recession which
started in 1858. The situation
was outlined by Gabriel Hauge,
an economic adviser to Gen.
Eisenhower.
No Strong Contradictions a
On the whole, there was no
vigorous contradiction of Mr..
Hauge's claim that national
economy is on the. upturn. Sew
eral Governors. however, in the
discussion that followed, de-
scribed serious conditions in in
dustries in their own States. Gov.
G. Mennen Williams of Michi-
gan. Democrat, insisted that the
automobile industry was a sick
industry, and that there were
deep burrows" ~ather than
mere wrinkles in the country's
economy. Republican Gov. Fine
of Pennsylvania spoke particu-
larry of the hard-hit coal in.
dustry. He complained, too. Of
the importation of residual oil
from Venezuela, which completes
strongly with coal. And Gov.
Russell of Nevada told of hard
hit mines in his State.
Mr.. Hauge'S recitation OF i'm.