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Way Is Cleared for .
Completion of Highway
Construction of Old Spanish Trail East of sissippi Assured, Mobile Men Declare.
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Last Tuesday and Wednesday a series of meetings were held between Mobile and New Orleans on the Old Spanish Trail UDder the lead of the Chambers ol! Commerce and civic clubs of that section the greatest meeting ever hel l along that coast, one report said.
Seven carloads left Mobile at 1 o'clock Tuesday morning, u car each representing the Chamber of Commerce, the Automobile Club. Rotary, KiwauJs, Civil a n and Optimists, atm each car led by the president of the organization. Two Alabama State Highway Commissioners were in the party and at all the cities and towns along the way meetings, receptions, dinners and banquets were arranged by tbe local organizations.
Cars joined the motorcade at town and the Now Orleans delegation joined at Gulfport.
The Chamber of Commerce of Mobile, telegraphed H. B. Ayers, managing j director of the Old Spanish Trail, “Gulf i| tour 'Successful beyond alj expecta- |
Last January the people of that h“' lion were discouraged. All road bulls i;ig efforts had failed and federal ai being refused.
met by those people, including the Washington expenses and that funds there for continued work are all derwritten and that the various C' mercinl and civic bodies have thrown the force of their organization behind the highway, as these remarkable gatherings between Mobile and New Orleans huvo just proven.
When the news reports and delegates told of the success of tbe two-duy tour, Mr. Ayres sent Texas greetings to those people by wire, In which be offered congratulations for tbe wou-derful accomplishments of the past few months.
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problems. In March the State conference was held ar Mobile where the Mobile Bay eight-mile b was ordered by the Highway Cotuoiis sion. The leaders of the four S (Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida), went home “sold”, on _ question of a “Gull' Coast Boulevard," instead of a mere highway from New Orleans to Pensacola.
Then followed the Washington work or Mr, Ayres, where the war department declared “the highway” from Pensacola to New Orleans of first Importance and its early completion scntial to the national defense. The | people of the east paid for this Was_ Ingtou work, which, it will be remembered. resulted in (hc whole OST tem being adopted “as essential ’ to the plans being formulated for the na-
liighway and the map accepted by tbe federal engineer and “(hat most of the Old Spanish Trail would bo completed In j” mouths as an IS fool cone road.”
A constitutional amendment is 1 before the Mississippi people wl includes tbe OST lor Stale highway construction.
Louisianu anuouuced a ?2,OOO.OG0 roau nud bridge building program to con-New Orleans to the Mississippi o lino and Congressman O’Connor ol New Orleans, who helped Mr. A vva at Washington is following up’tb work at Washington and enlisting fui ther support from the national authorities. Senators Pat Harrison and o. \\. Underwood are also actively helping and were constantly assisting the Washington work.
There arc 2G in lies of water wn and drainage basins to be crossed bv highway from Pensacola i„ New (J leans. It was these fearful barriers that bad stopped tho people aud highway departments.
Today a greater concentration ol tional State and local power la belli in the Gulf Boulevard than lu anv similar section In the United States, in ,
#Srlda. fhf* XuPr«rao Court Inis Just affirmed the validity of the gasoline tax ar,t^ that State no.w had some 000.000 annual road money.
With the OST ucross* Florida nisi asked for by tho war department and its importance emphasized by the con Srcfi&ounl delegation. Governor llardci and Chairman Phillips of the road do parfraent have acknowledged tbe majoi Importam-e of this highway and the Stale will push construction.
Mr. Ayres, who is now back at Antonio, euys all administration ponses in the East were promptly!