The Union Daily Times

Traffic Safety Conference

Frank Page, Commissioner of Highways of North Carolina and "father of good roads" in that state has accepted the invitation of Secretary of Commerce Hoover to be chairman of a committee on highway construction and engineering in its relation to safety in traffic. The appointment was announced today by Col. A. B. Barber, who has been asked by Secretary Hoover to serve as director of a joint organization of a number of national organizations seeking to improve the present traffic conditions.
The committee headed by Mr. Page is one of seven, headed by men of national prominence in their respective fields, to undertake preliminary work in preparation for a general conference on street and highway safety which will be held later in the year, and in which national organizations promoting safety will take part.
The seven committees will undertake studies in the following subjects: statistics as to traffic accidents, control of traffic in urban and rural districts; licensing of drivers; city planning and zoning in relation to traffic congestion and safety construction and engineering as a factor in safety improvement; insurance and its effect on traffic hazards; motor vehicles, their equipment and size and weight as safety factors; and the development of a safety educational program.
The need for this work was brought out some weeks ago when Secretary Hoover called together representatives from the National Safety Council, American Automobile Association, National Automobile Chamber of Commerce, American Railway Association, American Federated Engineering Society, American Municipal Alliance, United States Chamber of Commerce and National Bureau of Casualty and Surety Underwriters.
It was developed at that time that there is little uniformity in the gathering of such information, some organizations having complete information along some line and none in other directions; while in other matters there was wide diversity.
Mr. Page's record as a highway engineer is unique. In 1920 North Carolina was 17th in rank from the standpoint of improved highways. The North Carolina legislature passed a series of laws placing Mr. Page in absolute control of its highway program and providing for bond issues of $65,000,000. Previously the largest annual appropriation had been $300,000. Today North Carolina's good roads mileage has been increased from 6,850 in 1920 to 16,755 entirely under Mr. Page's direction. By a levy of three cents a gallon on gasoline to cover sinking funds on the bond issue and the maintenance of the good roads, the state's highway system is financed without a direct tax. The appreciation of the subordinate divisions of the state is perhaps best shown by the fact that most of the counties have voluntarily turned over their highway appropriations to the state.
Mr. Page's goal for his state is 30,000 miles of good roads.
While Mr. Page has been developing the road system, he has also been active in improving safety factors. Mr. Page's record won him presidency of the Association of State Highway Commissioners. The committee which he has accepted direction of will gather and collate information on surfacing, maintenance, width of roads, grading, borders, side paths, snow removal and other problems having direct bearing on safety in traffic.