Show irb ir b n ackman enters broad controversy associated civic clubs defend stand reply silences salt lake unit the criticism of the state road commission by the associated civic clubs of southern utah indirectly drew from gus P backman executive secretary of the salt lake city chamber of commerce and his highway committee the admission that chev believe all highways should lead direct to the state capitol otherwise they should not be built the which was car ried on through the columns of the salt lake tribune started when hen L A of milford and frank G martines Mar lines of richfield chairman and member of the associated civic clubs road committee told the road commission they believed southern utah should be given more consideration in the distribution of road funds this took place at the meeting in milford on march 26 the construction program as announced by the commission called for spending only approximately one third of the total amount in the 15 southern counties this mr martines said did not seem like a he also questioned mr hammond chairman of the road commission who was present on why utah rock asphalt was not considered as a road building material the association has recommended om mended the use of utah products whenever possible not being satisfied with letting the road commission settle its own argument mr backman launched an attack against the southern association and his highway committee passed a resolution favoring the widening of no 91 from brigham city to payson to a width of 40 feet before any more money is spent in southern utah mr backman also was quoted as saying the association was trying to build roads to get tourists out of the state as quickly as and that the salina canyon road no 6 and no 21 to nevada were not important roads he apparently overlooked tale the fact that the wendover cutoff is is the shortest route out of the state that his chamber supported its construction and that traffic can come into the state as well as leave it on all roads in his argument that southern utah has been getting more than its share of the road funds he quoted many figures some of which reflect in favor of our territory he admits that the 15 southern I 1 counties have per cent of the federal aid mileage and get only per cent of the money we pay only per cent of the gasoline tax yet according to his figures per cent of the vehicle miles are arc traveled in southern utah this would indicate that much of the gasoline burned in the 15 counties is purchased elsewhere although the argument r raged ag e d bitterly back and forth between mr backman and officers of the associated civic clubs for several days it apparently came to a close when president james M sargent of panguitch asked if the wholesale trades committee of the salt lake city chamber of commerce held the same attitude towards the outlying areas as does mr backman apparently the wholesalers would not care to have the business from these counties go to other centers mr martines said wednesday that while the associated civic clubs is vitally interested in building the state as a whole it does not feel that it should have to fight the salt lake city chamber of commerce in doing so local people will remember the long fight to have no 89 built to thistle and the many years that have been spent in trying to have the salina canyon connection brought to a better standard |