MICHIGAN 



ROADS 



FORESTS 



DETROIT, MICH., MAY, 1910. 



Michigan State Good Roads Association 



P. T. COLGROVE, Hastings, President. N. P. HULL, Diamondale, Vice-President. 



THOMAS SATTLER, Jackson, Secretary and Treasurer. 



EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 



H. S. EARLE, Detroit. P. T. COLGROVE, Hastings. W. W. TODD, Jackson. 



MICHIGAN GOOD ROADS 



MEN IN CONVENTION 



The third convention of the Michigan State 

 Good Reads Association, held at Grand Rapids 

 on May 12. was the best in the history nf that 

 organization. Much enthusiasm was display- 

 ed. The new officers and directors are among 

 the most earnest of good road advocates in 

 Michigan, and better selections to direct the 

 movement in Michigan could not have been 

 made. The good roads movement is gaining 

 force in this state with every mile of im- 

 proved highway that is built. The counties 

 that have been laggards are awakening, and 

 it is expected that within three years the c uni- 

 ty roads system will prevail universally. 



The convention was called to order by Pre-i- 

 dent \Y. W. Todd. of Jackson, who made a 

 sh:rt address. He said: 



I am pleased to meet so many Good Reads 

 advocates today, and in calling this, the third 

 annual meeting, to order, I wish first, to ex- 

 tend thanks to the state press, the Board of 

 Trade of Grand Rapids and the friends r i this 

 cause, who have aided us in a financial way. 

 A little over four years ago. this association 

 was organized at Flint, and since that time, 

 we have endeavored to impress upon the 

 minds of officials the necessity of abolishing 

 the old system of working cut road taxes and. 

 instead, of doing work of a more permanent 

 character. This not only applies to townships 

 but to cities as well. Michigan with her na- 

 tural resources for road building material, 

 should have the best roads cf any state in the 

 Union, but I am sorry to say that we fall 

 far short of it. This state manufactures 60 

 per cent of the automobiles made in this coun- 

 try: in the manufacture of vehicles. I am in- 

 formed that we are third. With this enorm- 

 ous output of road vehicles, why shculd we 

 be behind other states in the building of good 

 roads? 



We have, thanks to His Excellency Gov. 

 Warner, and the legislature, laws for the im- 

 provement of highways. The laws as enact- 

 ed, which give the State Highway Commis- 

 sioner power to give state aid, shculd be thor- 

 oughly explained to the voters of the rural 

 districts, for I find that the people who re- 

 ceive the greatest benefit from improved high- 

 ways, are the slowest to take advantage of it. 

 While not intending to, in any way, connect 

 this A->' - ciation in politics, I will say that I 

 think any man, no matter what party he may 

 belong to, can not make a mistake in adva- 

 cating a better condition of our highways. 



There are many ways in which this can be 

 brought about without being a burden to the 

 taxpayer. Our penal institutions, situated at 

 Jackson, Ionia and Marqnette. are accessible 

 to vast quarries of limestone which could be 



quarried and crushed by prison labor and 

 then sold to cities and townships at a price, 

 which would be cheaper than gravel, quality 

 considered. In each county men confined in 

 the county jail could be used to work on the 

 roads, and unfortunate men. who think little 

 of a jail sentence, would soon go to work, and 

 tramps in Michigan would be as scarce as 



portance. Even people at home, driving only 

 a shcrt distance, find sign boards very con- 

 venient; let alone the traveler passing from 

 one side of the state to the other. 



While I have mentioned the subject of state 

 aid, we should also take up the matter of 

 national aid. Many years ago this govern- 

 ment rendered financial assistance in improv- 

 ing highways, commonly kncwn as pikes, arid 

 I .think we should impress on pur represen- 

 tatives in Congress, the necessity of appro- 

 priating as much for highways as they do for 

 rivers and harbors and in this, connection I 

 wish to compliment Senator Wm. Alden Smith, 

 in his effort to secure a deep waterway con- 

 necting Lakes Michigan and Erie, and I hope 

 this convention will adopt suitable resolutions 

 asking him to help us in a national way. also 

 that a committee on Legislative matters be 

 appointed. 



Assistant City Attorney R. M. Ferguson 

 made the address of welcome, to which P. T. 

 Colgrove, of Hastings, responded. 



W. W. TODD, 



Member Executive Committee Michigan State 

 Good Roads Association. 



white black-birds. Such a measure would not 

 only reduce the many crimes committed but 

 also be a great benefit to the state in a finan- 

 cial way. 



It would be well for you gentlemen to en- 

 lighten your neighbors as to the amount lost 

 to the farmers each year on account of poor 

 roads. Xot many years ago, remonstrances 

 and even injunctions were served on our city 

 fathers against pavement?, but I believe there 

 is not a good paved street in any city of this 

 state which a majority of the people would 

 abandon and go back to the old dirt road, and 

 the farmers, who come to your city to trade 

 soon find out where they can first strike the 

 pavement. 



The matter of road signs is one that we 

 should advocate; it is a matter of great im- 



Gov. Warner expressed deep interest in the 

 good roads movement, which, he said, in Mich- 

 igan, is still in its infancy, but growing. 



In 1906 the state expended $26,000 for good 

 r:ads, the next year $61.000, then $78,000 and 

 last year $144.000. and this year it will' reach 

 $200,000. The time will come, he said, when 

 the state will expend therefor four times this 

 amount, and a tax of less than 10 cents on the 

 thousand valuation will make this possible. 



Hon. Chase S. Osborn was unable to be 

 in attendance, but sent a letter which was read 

 bv Horatio S. Earle, of Detroit. It was as 

 follows: 



I assure you I deeply regret that prior en- 

 gagements make it utterly impossible for me 

 to attend your convention, because aside from 

 the pleasure of meeting the assemblage there 

 gathered, I am an enthusiast on the subject 

 of good roads. I feel it is one of the greatest 

 issues of the day. and so I have asked my 

 friend, the original good roads man of Michi- 

 gan. Hon. Horatio S. Earle. to represent me 

 at this convention and to tell you where I 

 stand upon this question of national impor- 

 tance. 



Good roads can be had during this present 

 generation and that without anyone being 

 overtaxed. Nothing has ever been done in 

 this country of purs but what we with our 

 additional education and resources can more 

 than equal. I am not the kind of man to 

 be satisfied with what existed in the time 

 of my grandparents. I believe in progress 

 in every good work, and with our prosperity 

 we can afford some luxuries as well as neces- 

 saries and yet not be extravagant. 



What can be done is best discerned by tak- 

 ing a glance over what has been accomplished, 



