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Show Mendonce Record EstobSssSiec! At Qy-Counfv Meet Mmh ' 710 delegates and officials of L'tah cities and counties gathered ga-thered in Moab last Thursday for the Seventeenth Annua! City Streets and County Roads School. The convention is held each year to provide opportunities op-portunities for county, city, and government officials to discuss road problems. According Ac-cording to Winford Bunce, Mayor of Moab. this is the Second time Moab has hosted the convention. It was the largest gathering in the 17 year history of the convention The two-day meeting began Thursday at 9 a.m. in th Holiday Theatre with Mr. Waiter Wai-ter Ekins, Chairman of L'tah Association of Counties' Road Committee, presiding. Addresses Ad-dresses of welcome were given giv-en by Mayor Bunce and Grand County Commission Chairman Ralph Miller. Gas Tax Discussed The main topic discussed Thursday morning was concerning con-cerning the proposed one-cent increase on gasoline tax. Speaking on this topic was Mr. Charles R. Kelley, Chairman, Chair-man, of UTES Action Committee Com-mittee and City Majiager of Ogden. He spoke of the origin ori-gin of the UTES (Utah Transportation Trans-portation Economic Study) Action Committee which one year ago began emphasizing the urgent need for financial assistance to cities and counties coun-ties for the upgrading of roads. "The need for a new program pro-gram is this:" Kelly stated. "The construction, reconstruction reconstruc-tion and improvement of our main roads is not keeping up with the demand traffic is placing on them and unless we increase our efforts immediately im-mediately we arc going to be hopelessly behind in providing roads for future traffic. The result of no action will be increased in-creased traffic accidents, causing great financial loss as well as injuries and deaths to many people, traffic tie-ups and interference which can affect af-fect both industrial development develop-ment as well as the Tourist Industry. "Cities and counties in Utah do not have the financial a-bfl'ty a-bfl'ty now to carry out these types of projects. The State Highway Department does not nave sutticient tunas to meet their needs now, let alone tnke on this extra construction." construc-tion." Property Tax Impossible; Kelley continued, "Let's not kid ourselves that we can raise property taxes sufficiently sufficient-ly to pay for this work or that, if we wait long enough it will go away." Kelley then outlined the object ob-ject of the program as one which would "provide an integrated in-tegrated system of main roads and highways throughout through-out the state, properly designed de-signed and constructed, which will carry traffic now and in the future in a safe and expeditious ex-peditious manner and with a minimum of maintenance costs." The financing of this highway high-way improvement and construction con-struction program would be the proposed one-cent increase on gasoline tax. Thursday's noon activities for the City Streets and County Coun-ty Roads school took place at the Desert Inn where delegates dele-gates and representatives met for luncheon. Speaking at this time was Mr. John Benson Ben-son of the National Association Associa-tion of County Engineers of Washington, D. C. Benson urged full support by county and city officials for the proposed pro-posed one-cent tax increase so that local governments could meet future traffic demands. de-mands. Consultation Clinics 14 consultation clinics were held Thursday Cternon in various var-ious auditoriums and meeting iconu throughout the city. Each clinic was under the direction di-rection of an authority in his field, many clinics being directed di-rected by two or more authorities. author-ities. The discussion clinics included the following topics: Patching Materials: Signing and Traffic Control; Trench Cuts. Protections and Back Filling; Secondary Roads: Selection of Asphalt Mixes and Road Oils; Cement: Right-of-way; Forest Roads; Bridges. Drainage and Culverts; Equipment Equip-ment Maintenance; Office Procedure; Rural Road Design; De-sign; Slag; and UAES Action Committee. The convention participants were treated to an old-fash- ioncd cowboy dinner on the banks of the Colorado at Lions Club Park Thursday evening ?nd were entertained by the Bradshaws, a western singing group. The convention continued through Friday with general sessions taking place in the morning. The main speaker at this time was Dr. Quinn G. McKay who is currently Dean of the school of business and College. Dr. McKay gave the commissioners and mayors things to look for in hiring people for responsible positions. posi-tions. "The best way to get things done," said McKay, "is to change the personnel. The worst thing to do is to have a person promise that he will do the same fine job of hi? predecessor." Find The Right Men Dr. McKay stressed the importance im-portance of finding men who have new ideas, men who are not afraid to try them out even if it doesn't go along with the normal pattern. McKay Mc-Kay also gave demonstrations on how superintendents should give orders to their employees. employe-es. "When a superintendent gives an order, thhe employee may get an entirely different' meaning than what his boss intended," said McKay. "A man told how to do something will perform according to his past experiences and ability which doesn't always line up with the superintendent's Idea of accomplishment." Scenic ' Sidetrip Friday's luncheon was given to the delegates and ladies in Lions Club Park. From there the visitors' were given automobile auto-mobile caravan tours "of four areas: Arches National Monument, Monu-ment, Deadhorse Point, Fisher Towers and Texas Gulf Sulphur Sul-phur Potash Plant. In addition addi-tion to this was a full boat of passengers taking a tour of the Colorado River with Tex. The convention's annual banquet ban-quet in the American Legion ' Hall - concluded the two-day meet and most of . the delegates dele-gates returned home Saturday. |