The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-05-16
COURIER SATURDAY MAY s 1896
SPEECH FOR GOOD ROADS
ADDRESS DELIYERED BY NEW
HAMPSHIRE'S GOVERNOR.

He Makes stirring Appeal for Improve
ment in Road Building in the Old Gran
lite State.
Connecticut is making a fine stand
for good roads and road Improvement,
and the Importance of having good
roads is being more and more reoog-
nized throughout the United States.
Good roads save the farmer the manu-
facturer and all who have occasion to
use them, both time and money.
Apropos to the subject is the following,
being the address of Governor Busiel
of New Hampshire, delivered at New
Eagle hotel Concord
Concord, N, H., May 15.-Governor
Bushels address last night was as fol-
lows:
The attention of every wldeawake,
progressive town is directed to an i'm
provement in road building and in the
methods of repair of existing roads.
Nothing is a better index of the prog
ress and thrift Of a city or town than
good, substantial streets and highways.
good road is an economy from every
standpoint. The comfort of the trav-
eler is increased, time is saved, freight
is transported at less expense, and the
cost of annual repairs is greatly dimin-
ished. There are also Incidental advan-
tages that should not be overlooked.
The value Of buildings and land adja-
cent to good streets and well construct
ed highways is greatly increased, and
properties once unstable, under such
conditions find a ready and a profitable
market. These propositions will be ac-
cepted by every one. They need no dis
cussion, They are facts and not theo-
ries. The vital problem for our solu-
ton is the method of constructing the
most permanent roads in the most eco
nomical manner, With a wise provis-
ion for the future after anticipating in
creasing demands, we should first de-
eide the use and the amount of travel
and traffic which will pass over given
street or highway. With one problem
solved we can proceed to build special
roads to meet unequal conditions,
Within my remembrance Laconia has
grown from a little village to a vigor-
Gus, active city The highways have
kept even pace with the growth of the
town. The village roads of the early
period have been rebuilt many times,
and to-day they are the substantial
streets of the city.
am speaking here with certain fixed
ideas. I believe that a well constructed
street or highway in the end Is the
cheapest and that each section or road
should be built in accordance with the
kind of travel and traffic that will pass
over it. We are expanding too much
upon annual repairs and too little upon
permanent improvements and the con-
struction of ideal roads. Let us suppose
that one hundred years ago our fathers
had set aside one half the money raised
for repairing highways, and with this
sum had annually constructed few
rods of good macadam road and that
they had continued this plan to the
present time. In this way all the roads
of New Hampshire would have been re-
built, many hills would have been cut
down and the grade greatly improved.
1t is not too late to adopt this plan.
Too long, in many localities in this
state, the road agents have SKINNED
over the whole town, and even with
great and continued expense they have
failed to keep even with the waste and
wear OF time. Let it be remembered
that properly constructed road needs
very little repair, and that as fast as
such roads are built the expense Of re-
pair is reduced. From every stand
point good road is the cheapest. Ev-
cry city or town may treat the good
roads question from a practical and
economical standpoint, an engineer
should make a plan of all the city or
town highways. They should be CLASH
fed, each road being considered and
judged by the amount of work required