OCR Text |
Show GOOD HIGHWAYS J RAILROADER BOOSTS ROADS President Finley of Northwestern System Praises Work of Highway High-way Construction. President William H. Finley, of tht Chicago & Northwestern railway, sounded what automobile Industry officials of-ficials declare is a sensible opinion when lie came out before a meeting of the Illinois Association of Highway and Municipal Contractors, in a pro nounced boost for hard-surfaced high ways. Mr. Finley is one of the first railroad magnates to see the light, and to oppose the theory that hard-surfaced hard-surfaced highways will ruin the railroads. rail-roads. When trolley lines were first built there was a hue and cry that thej would take all the business from the railroads, declared Mr. Finley. "Nothing Uke that happened," he added, "but the trolley lines merely created more business for everybody Every great development is the result of evolution, not revolution." Mr. Finley praised the work of highway high-way building but warned against the tendency toward overtaxation. "It is extremely gratifying to see big men like Mr. Finley come out in the open and declare the truth about hord-surfaced highways," said Henry Paulman, chairman of the good roads committee of the Illinois State Automobile Auto-mobile association, "especially since he holds such a commanding position In the railroad world. It is sound doctrine doc-trine ably given. "While it Is true that the hard-surfaced highways have put several short railroad lines out of business, taken as a whole our federal and state systems of roads in this country simply coordinate co-ordinate with the trunk line railroads. The highways for the most part act as feeders of the railroads and Increase their business. It Is my firm conviction convic-tion that the railroad officials should be boosters of highway construction and not obstructionists. President Finley's speech on the subject Is timely." |