Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1898-10-17
GOOD ROADS.
We copy the following from Gov.
Cn1 itb3s m ASsaOe.

| $780, year, D per c0uG OGdCo'S grdnO
list is collected, and the same redis-
tributed to the various towns, and 245
highway commissioners spent each
towns proportion of this $4,000 in
keeping in repair the highways of the
particular town-or are supposed to
do SO. The State has no voice Or di-
rection as to how or when this large
sum of money shall be spent, and no
control or Jurisdiction over it what
ever. AS a matter of fact, if I may
rely upon the best information have
at hand, there is not one dollar of this
money that goes into permanent
work, or that furnishes a lasting ben
eft to the State. There is no report
made thereof to the State whatever.
No man in this assembly would apply
the principle that controls the distri-
button of this per cent State tax for
highways to his own business. No
man with an income of $86, 900 or less,
or more, would allow 245 or any num-
Der of his servants, however good, to
spend it without any voice or control
or exercize any accountability re-
specting it whatever. How, there
fore, can you do your duty as legisla-
tors and allow this condition as to
$50, 900 of the States income to re-
main as it is?
This state of affairs is no fault of
the highway commissioners of the
several towns, and is no criticism
whatever on them. 1t is incident to
the law itself, which dissipatcs the
benefit that would accrue to the State
if this 5000 was directed from one
standpoint or by the State. The idea
that underlies this law relating to the
redistribution of the per cent tax, is
that it aids the poorer and smaller
towns; but this is not true, in my
Judgment. The idea is, for instance,
that the town of Hancock, which on
it's grand list is assessed $3.50 receives
in the redistribution on it's mileage
S130.48. But of this $130.48, the town
pays out of it's own pocket $58.19, SO
that in reality it's gain on redistribu-
ton is but S72.29. This is less than
So. 80 per mile on it's % miles of road.
Practically, it is no help at all towards
rebuilding and maintaining the roads
of Hancock. The standard authori-
ties give the saving in cost of team
ing over good roads as compared to
ordinary dirt roads to .be from 80 to
rs per cent, so that there is from $1.25
to 50 for every ton Of freight teamed
to go into the pocket of the producer
in Vermont, if only good roads are
made where bad ones now exist.
Looking at it, therefore, from the
standpoint of the smaller towns, off
from the railroads, the benefit that
would result to the Inhabitants there
of, by the expenditure of this money
in making the roads good would in
finitely exceed the amount received
each year in the redistribution OF this
5 per cent from the State highway
tax. So far as the larger towns are
concerned, it is obviously for their ad-
vantage to change this highway law
and to have better roads. 1t seems
to me those are strong reasons for
changing the law and securing better
roads and the solution is clear and
easy. If this legislature will direct
that the expenditure of the $4,000
collected each year from the State
highway tax be devoted under proper
restrictions to building highways from
these smaller towns to functions with
the railroads or into larger towns, it
will be but few years before these
smaller towns reap a benefit hum !
dred fold over the present arrange
ment. You cannot reap any benefit |
in this direction by having 245 heads
control the distribution of the $86, 900,
as under the present law. You must
put it into the hands of few, and
these must be experiencediin the bus
mess and must be responsible to and
by the State. The State of
Massachusetts and many Of our sister
States have already seen and proved
the wisdom of the State care of high
ways. 1t is no experiment. I ear
nestly ask that the highway law Of
modified to suit the
of our State, be adopted
here. recommend the appointment
Of highway commissioners to whom
shall be turned over the per cent
tax: who shall control the
expenditure thereof under the pro-
visions hereinafter named, and who
shall have charge of what shall be
called State roads. The expenditure
for the present at least in a general
way, ought to be for improving and
making permanent the roads from