Benton County Organizes a Road Lobby

The Benton County Good Roads Association was organized Saturday afternoon at a meeting in the Commercial Club rooms, attended by business men, farmers and politicians. The organization, whose scope and membership are county-wide, starts life under very favorable prospects, in that the outstanding feature of the meeting was the broad spirit of cooperation manifested. Evidently there is an earnest desire on the part of the leaders in the movement to make the association truly representative of all sections of the county and to administer its affairs for the benefit of the county as a whole.

All three members of the board of county commissioners were present and gave unqualified endorsement to the organization. Much of the association's work will be with the commissioners, but its attitude will not be one of hostility. It is not to be used as a club to heckle and handicap the commissioners, but its work will be along advisory lines.

The new organization is modeled after the Franklin County organization, details of which were explained by the president of the Pasco Chamber of Commerce. The association has a dual purpose: it will look after the local roads and the county, and will put forth effort to secure state appropriations. Its by-laws provide that the advisory board shall compile data on county roads and shall meet with the county commissioners each year before the county and district road levies are made, to the end that road improvements may be made according to a systematic plan and that no section's needs will be overlooked or neglected.

Every man and woman in the county is eligible to membership upon payment of an annual membership fee of one dollar. Management of the association's affairs is vested in a board of nine trustees, of which the president, secretary and treasurer are ex-officio members, the other six being elected two from each of the three commissioner's districts. The six trustees are to be chosen from the advisory board, consisting of one representative from each rural voting precinct and one from each incorporated town.

Saturday's meeting was called together by E. W. Trenbath, chairman of the good roads committee of the Commercial Club. F. R. Jeffrey and Gordon Moores were chosen temporary chairman and secretary. After the by-laws had been adopted, the following officers were elected: president, Carl C. Williams, of Horse Heaven; secretary, Dr. J. J. Kowalski, of Prosser; treasurer, E. W. Trenbath. Advisory-board members were then chosen precinct by precinct, including representatives from White Bluffs, Hanford, Kiona, Kennewick, Paterson, East and West Prosser, Columbia, Rattlesnake, Spring Grove, Riverside, Glade, Finley, Horse Heaven, Hover, South Kennewick, Kennewick Valley, Horn Rapids, Vale and Richland.