The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1851-02-19

Highways. No. 8.

In NV last articleI remarked that a change
had been pointed out. bv the Legislature ol
Vermont. in the method Of rNpcnlin. the
fund, of the State, designed for the rcpaiis
OF lIirhways. This proposed change ma,
be- seen in an act of the ist session. approY
ell Nov 18th 1880.
1t provides that each town in this Sa,c
MAY, at its annual meeting, elect three per
sons as commissioners of streets and high
WAYS. who shall have the whole care. Sc.
of the highways in such town. and whose
duty it shall lie to make and repair all the
highways in such town, &c, The second
section ri,es the towns the right to raise
their highway tax, and make it payable i'll
money, and gves the commissioners the right
to appoint collector, &c. The third or last
section declares the act not binding upon
any town, unless tie town shall vote to elect.
and shall elect, agreeubly to the provisions
of the first section Of this act and provides
TINT no highway surveyors shall be appointed
when The town elect commissioners
This act proposes a plan that will eiiectu-
all, obviate many Of the objections to former
me hods and provisions for maxim. and re-
ra,Iinr our highways. There are some men
in every town. hope. that have q sufficient
degree of public spirit and enterprise to de-
size GOOD and safe roads, thar can be used
with ease to beasts OF burden. and saict, to
travellers and carriages men, too. that have
Judgment and disci iminntion, to distinguish
between gool and bad roads. to determine
their defects, and TO prcs,gib- what must be-
done TO make them what they should he. aud
can be. if the adeartta labor /, be.iowe !. q.
the nature of the case, and the public good
demands.
II NAV not be difficult to find three such
men in every town and to elect them 90
this important Office while IT may be Diff
cult to find one in every highway district in
each town. The act. therefore provides for
a material Improvement in this respect.
This act may be cxceptionahe to some,
because it proDoses to make the highway tax
na,nhle in money. Our labor is Indirectly
money. The mass of economical lahorcrs
nnnrove of labor Swing machinery, and
annroye Of 1,onev-sariug. time-saving and
consequently of labor saving, operations Of
any kind. Under oar present system. the
highway tax is assessed and apportoncd TO
the several highway districts. directed TO the
several HIGHWAY surveyors. 10 be collected
and exnend,d according to their discretion
within the limits Of their several districts,
and now who Is tb. maj, thar has bestowed
n little di.in,efe,ted observation upon the
manner in which This fax has been satisfied
I u., doe. NOT pronounce it inefficient TO ar.
co,,,,E.b ,,b,t il WA. DESIGNED to a,,omnli,hy
SuI hose we fancy TO ourselves rronp of
49, tov.,,avers osso,nbicd Mt nont die.
.i,n,ted nv n highway surveyor. 10 commence
r,t;o,s. e,rh with bis inducements IN
/ hu,d s,anIin@. DISCUSSING how when and
vh,re ,h,v snail commence oner,tions each
man hn,ino a way OF his own. and the sur
( vnvor wontin,, in decision. An hour or NOR.
1 = spent and nothino done Have We flnciod
II ra,e 10 which we have not seen. actually.
par.llel? And then. AGAIN, how long will
/ il be after opcrations are commenced, before
some controversial tonic of conversation is
introduced and all hands are resting upon
their tools and the surveyor has not the abil-
itv to prevent it? NIGHT has come, ten
cents per hour are allowed, and the company
disperse. know it will be said it is the du-
ty of the surveyor to allow ten cents per
hour Tor work only, but who does not know
the difficulty of disposing OF this subject ,
The result is much Iime-is lost to the public
and to individuals This new act does, /