Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1888-03-02
OUR HIGHWAYS.
LETTERS FROM CITIZENS VINO WANT BETTER
ROADS IN BRArTLEBoRo AND BETTER WAYS

LETTERS FROM CITIZENS VINO WANT BETTER
ROADS IN BRArrLEBoRo AND BETTER WAYS
or MAKING THEM.
M Editor, The approaching March meeting
has already brought 10 your columns some com
munications. relative TO matters which annually
come up, and grievances complained Of IN years
past II is to be hoped each year will remedy
some Of the latter, aud that the coming year may
see the Inauguration Of some new methods Shall
we 20 on this year in the old way Of filling up our
roads and streets with the scrapngs Of the bitches
for the first rain 10 wash back again, or shall we
begin b. put in some more enduring Materials
Shall the highway taxes continue 10 be expended
In ways that have not the merit of showing for
single season. even, where they have been putY
Shall the charge Of our highways be- given to
those who make their care their first business,
their principal business, aud their only business,
If necessary or shall they be- given To those hav-
ing other business, and teams that In the absence
Of sufficient employment for them otherwise, can
be worked In ON town account
It * certain that the condition Of our highways
is unsatisfactory and that under the care Of com.
missioners they have not been kept up to the
standard maintained under the district surveyors
The ground, as a whole, has not been apparently
covered by an intelligent oversight everywhere rs
formerly, aud while at first allowances might be-
made for some short cumings, uero is not now
any reasonable excuse for continued neglccts.
Some excuse. also, for the growing decline in the
condition NJ the public ways may undoubtedly be
found in thu modification " the laws relating 10
damages upon highways The legitimate work
ing Of this would naturally be- to lessen the feeling
charge uf the roads and this cause ~ We have
very good reason tu believe operates outside Of
Brattlrboru as well ms within It's limits
What. now, viii remedy all this chronic dssats-
factions
First, let ms have q stone crusher. It has been
talked Of long enough, and voted for times
Hoo,
discussed fully in open meeting, and nothing
further can Dr. added on this account The state.
mcut that We have not stone suitable 10 crush Is
absurd. The spttest rock anywhere about would
make much more enduring roads than anything
heretofore used, and In country that Is all rocks
80 10 speak II is pity IL we can not turn them tu
below and above us, at Greenfield and Rutland,
and why fight longer against the inevitable
Second why should We not also try the plan
that is practiced in all large towns " having the
teams for all this work purchased aud owned by
ihr town inns pan was TWO years ago outlined
aud suggested 10y Srlectman Itrrrick, and certain
ly has everything to commend il We might also
very properly consider whether the charge uf the
roads. aud management Of the whole matter IN
behalf Of the town, might not be htter left In the
hands OF our selectmen. aud let them devote
their time more fully To- the public service We
would at least risk httl' 10y the experiment for
one year.
Thus far let radicali~m 20 this year year,
experiment. IN a trial NJ new methods, involves
no hopeless setback let MS invest ia the stone
crusher and the snow rollers even II the projected
Improvement ON the town hall front has to 90 by
again. So says
OSE VINO NEVER SPEAKS ~ lows MEETING
EduOr.OC The Ph0Hir. As our town meeting
comes OF soon, II would seem proper 10 consider
whether the complaints being made about our
roads are well founded and IL 80. to apply rem.
edy. The amount raised annually with the
amount expended 10y our seectmen in addition
amounting In all to over S9DOJ-ought to give us
the best roads in the county H. as has been
charged, they are 50 much poorer that people
coming from adjoining towns can readily discern
when they enter our borders. there must be-
cause that merits the attention of every voter
Probably there is no town Ia the county that ex-
ponds 50 much Ia proportion to the number Of
miles Ia 1t as We do, or that has better material 10
make good roads vita. II the charges brought
against us are true, We must lack IN ability to
build roads. or there must h. dishonest manage
ment
The question TO be- considered is whether the
men hitherto employed possess the requisite skill
for building roads and have made il their sole end
aud aim to rxpcud the money placed In their
hands for the best interest of the town aud the
travelling public II ANY of them have proved rec.
rean to duty, 1t is high time IL is known hy every
voter aud tax payer II may not be An easy mat
ter to show just here the responsibility for bad
management rests, under our new law. which
clothes thrt- distinct men with equal power and
authority 10 manage things AS each ga his mdiytI.
ual capacity shall deem advisable 10 is said that
Ia multitude of cpuns''lur~ Their, is safety: but
IN IA multitude Of bosses. in the event they dis.
agree, there can only BE- confusion and bad re-
suits. From the best Information | hav. l..ru
able % Obtain. ann satisfied that a part OF our
ROAD commissioners have done their last To ptr-
form their duties. and the money extended hv
them can all be accounted for, the number uf
hours each man worked each day the price uer
hour PAD 10 each and the place Whrr' each days
work was done. bctng carefully given. They
nave taken a ruuiurniubr interest in know iug
NAT fIttar Ff...t.. !.
uatl To them. have lahnrd faithfully th-ms.Nt-.
and ara deserving uf credit rather than cru,iir..
Ihr question Is, whether this can truthfully To-
sald ui all. de- not wish To ceusurr any one un.
Justly, but that there should h. a suspicion bv
some Of our voters that all not as il Should be-
calls loudly FOR iuye~tiga Ii we'll founded Ne
cannot wish their services longer; II uufuundrd
all suspicion ought to IT, renewed We are ali
aware that the excessive rains of last summer
ru1sed much extra work on our roads. aud in the
central part Of the town uiIr roads do not suffer
iu cpmpafiS 'u with former years or with other
towns nut sue" a marked improvement. Il may
appear that the ciii~' Of had roads In other s,..
tons can be accounted FOR by time, lost ia iiuu,.c.
r>sary travel Of the men from one extreme end Of
the town To the other, each commissioner acting
separately
That our commissioners have not worked bnr.
moniou-y together is quite. e., ident. and to avoid
like occurrence hereafter il would seem adyisl
III" not To have three independent heads II the
law requires Us to have three commissioners If
we have any, and clothes them with equal auth.
ur1ty, as some claim. We could request the chair.
man, or one first elected, to take the general sti.
perviSion uf all the roads u town, holding him.
elf responsible for the money and how and
where Il was expended II such request should
b- made by vote uf the town. think L would In.
willingly accepted and the wishes IT the voter. IL.
resp ted by the other two commissioners This
was the cas- when the srlrCtmcn had clar,,. of
the roads. the Chairman assuming nearly an Tie.
responsibility Of th" board. We need un,. man to
give his entire time ami attention To- cur road, a
nan qualified for road building. aud should h.
IAN 10 discharge his duties To the acc,.ptauc- of
the town, he should b,. held responsible, f1r liz.
failure. BY adopting this course think we should
secure better roads and avoid much III feeling that
our present system is quite liable to engrndtr
A 10