Kennewick Pushes Back on Cost of Scenic Highway Promotion

At a meeting in Walla Walla last Thursday attended by representatives of several towns between Spokane and North Yakima, steps were taken to advertise the automobile route through eastern and central Washington via Spokane, Lewiston, Walla Walla and North Yakima. The plan is to begin at a point about 100 miles east of Spokane and post the route through to North Yakima and to issue several thousand small circulars advertising the route as the scenic route through Washington. The motion which led to this action was made by Col. Robertson, of North Yakima, who favored a plan of including only the cities of Spokane, Walla Walla and North Yakima and intermediate towns in the route. The committee named for the purpose of working out the plan added the name of Lewiston. This action was opposed by the Kennewick delegates on the ground that it would be difficult to route automobilists back into Idaho once they had crossed that state. It is planned to finance the advertising by levying an assessment of $60 on the towns of Walla Walla, North Yakima and Lewiston, and $30 each on the towns of Clarkston, Pomeroy, Waitsburg, Pasco and Kennewick. This plan was reported to the Kennewick Commercial club by secretary T. A. Swayze at the luncheon Wednesday. After considerable discussion the club, upon motion of M. M. Moulton, voted not to pay the assessment until an estimate of the entire cost had been prepared and an equitable assessment levied against all the towns along the route. The club took the stand that it was unjust for Kennewick and Pasco to dig up $30 each while no levy was made on Dayton, Colfax, Prosser, Mabton and other towns along the route.