96 CONFERENCE OF GOVERNORS. 



Trunk Lines of Highways for New England. 



By James H. MacDonald, State Highway Commissioner, Connectioiit. 



Now that the two great national events of our country have 

 taken place, — the election of our President and the annual foot- 

 ball game between Yale and Harvard, — I think we may very well 

 settle down and commence to talk about the every-day things of 

 life. It has always been a marked epoch in the history of our 

 country when New England has sat down in counsel together. And 

 I know of no better way to accomplish that which makes for prog- 

 ress than just such a meeting as we have here to-day. 



Brother Parker has covered the entire subject of road buildiug 

 •\'ery completely. I think I have never heard the subject discussed 

 so intelligently, and yet so completely covered ia so short a period 

 of time, as did Brother Parker in his very able paper to-day. 



This meetiag has a suggestiveness to me. The sun rises ia the 

 east and sets in the west. The beginniag of the day is with us 

 here in New England, and its close is away over at the Pacific. 

 It seems to me there is a leadiag in this great meeting to-day, 

 and that it means very much more than is apparent at first thought. 

 The most important question, in my judgment, before the people 

 of this country is education. That has been taken care of. No 

 better system of education than is to be found here in New England 

 exists anywhere under God's sun. The next great question, in my 

 opinion, is highway improvement. It is a natural sequence. High- 

 way improvement always follows education. Here in New Eng- 

 land this is a very momentous question. "We cannot give it too 

 careful thought. 



The 2,151,000 miles of road in this country have had too little 

 done with them, — only 108,000 miles of gravel roads, 38,000 

 miles of macadam and 6,000 miles of road constructed of other 

 material. In this great country, of over 80,000,000 people, it is 

 not a proud record. Too long have we neglected to take up this 

 great question. I am happy to say, and proud of the fact, however, 



