I have discussed only the main highways, but of course we have no
intention of neglecting our secondary roads. The plan we have envi-
sions the expenditure of approximately $40 million.

I believe the plan we have offered to the General Assembly is, in the
light of conditions we face, the only sensible one. I hope the people of
the State will make their best effort to understand it. I hope they will
give us their support.

REMARKS, BALTIMORE ASSOCIATION OF COMMERCE

BALTIMORE
March 6, 1961

I am most grateful to your president for inviting me to attend this
luncheon which the Baltimore Association of Commerce has arranged to
stimulate interest in the development and improvement of commercial
aviation in this area.

From its very origin to the present time, this great City has been a
pioneer in the field of transportation—water, rail, highway and now air.
The great progress we have made in Baltimore and in the State of Mary-
land is due to a very great extent to the fortunate geographic position
we occupy and the measures we have taken to build a transportation
system to exploit this advantage.

Maryland, we know, is the center of a vast transportation network of
water, land and air services. This seaport, with the rail, highway and
air links connecting it with other parts of the country, is the very core
of our economy. We have reached an age when commercial aviation
has assumed a position of great importance in the whole area of trans-
portation and communication. We can expect air transportation to
increase in relative importance as the years go by.

All of us are pleased with the great strides made by the Friendship
International Airport during the past few years, and especially since the
inauguration of jet flights. It is essential that this airport be developed
and improved over the years to keep pace with the rapid growth of
commercial aviation.

I know of no organization that has done more than the Baltimore
Association of Commerce to encourage the improvement of our port
and our transportation system. The entire State of Maryland is greatly
indebted to you for this service.

Again, let me express my gratitude to you for inviting me here today.

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