Henderson Daily Dispatch

Roads Bad In Entire U.S.

By LYNN NISBET

Daily Dispatch Bureau

Raleigh, Feb. 27 - A quickly called meeting of the Carolina Roadbuilders Association occasioned by an unexpected visit of James Skelly, president of the national roadbuilders group, heard several big shots in the industry Monday night explain that about the only difference between North Carolina and other states in rural road problems is that the Tar Heel administration is slightly more efficient in meeting conditions.

Skelly explained that in every state there had been demand during recent years for cheap land off the main highways, and the first thing the owner demanded was a good road built at state expense to his new holdings. This demand superimposed upon normal postwar demand for construction would have overloaded highway commissions in normal weather. Added to that came the hardest winter in many years on roads with resulting conditions that just couldn't be remedied in a few weeks.

The national roadbuilders' president complimented the North Carolina loa setun, but could not resist a dig at public relations.

Whether or not he was familiar with the "closed door" story of the early days of the Sandy Graham regime, he occasioned smiles throughout his audience when he pointedly said that highway officials could not go behind closed doors and work out policies with any hope of popular support for them.

Burton Miller, also of the Washington office, warned that house building priorities could be carried too far, and said unless the road builders got busy they would find strategic materials tied up by government orders which would block roadbuilding while perhaps not contributing to relief of the housing problem. He frankly admitted he is a lobbyist, but said the most powerful lobbies around Washington are operated by government agencies who do not want to lose their control over private business.

Chairman Graham of the state highway commission observed that the mud furnished an escape-topic for people fed up with war and that many pictures had been painted worse than actual conditions. This together with increased burdens put upon country roads by modern commerce, he said had been responsible for much of the criticism leveled at road agencies.

Gov. Gregg Cherry, who blasted the commission about three months ago in a personal appearance in which he urged more attention to country roads, appeared briefly at today's session.

He shook hands with each commissioner and thanked them for "what you are trying to do."