Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1898-09-23
ALL FOR GOOD ROADS
ENTHUSIASTIC GATHERING AT YER.
GENNES ON TUESDAY.


Road Commissioners Given "A Practical
Lesson-speeches by Men of Prominence
from All over the state-Legislation Pro
posed as IA Remedy.
The road convention held here was a
success in every particular, reports a
press despatch from Vergennes. There
were about 100 people pesent, most of
them being road commissioners, who
came here to discuss how to make roads.
Among the prominent people present
were Hon. j. o. Sanford of Stamford,
Hon. Alpha Messer of Rochester, Hon.
c. J. Bell of Walden, j. X. Curtis of
Georgia, members of the state board of
agriculture; Prof. G. II. Pettee of the
New Hampshire Agricultural college,
Marcus Peck of Brookfield, ex-member
of the state highway commission, and
Hon. w. j. Van Patten and wife of
Burlington.
The forenoon was devoted to looking
over the stone crushing plant and view
ing the construction of sample road. In
the afternoon a meeting was held in City
Hall with Hon. j. o. Sanford of Stamford
as presiding officer. Mr.. Sanford in TAX
ing the chair described the methods of
road building in Massachusetts and New
Jersey, where they are clamoring for bet
ter roads and more of them. The first
law for the betterment of roads in the
state was in 1892. when Gov. Fuller was
in charge. He appointed highway com
mission which was allowed a salary of
500, who reported to the legislature of
1894 on the condition of the roads in the
state which was worth thousands of
dollars to the state. The commission
was continued for two years, and it
made another excellent report. But in
1896 it was dropped, probably because it
cost too much to support. Some towns
are making good roads because they
continue to keep good man in office as
commissioner. During the first four
years of the present law roads were i'm
proved because the state commission
looked after them, but since then they
have not because the smaller towns did
not use the highway money in a proper
manner. He described the condition of
the roads in Randolph and Pomfret,
where they were good because these
towns used the money properly and left
good commissioners in office. There
should be some system in road costruc-
ton for the II, 1000 miles of dirt roads in
the state which ought to be improved.
The present state aid law should be
changed so that money would be expend-
ed iudiciously.
nj T. 10
said he was enthusiastic for good roads.
Nothing will build up town better than
good roads. The greatest crop Vermont
has is summer visitors. who are willing
to spend their money, but they want good
roads over which they drive.
Hon. Marcus Peck said that as former
member of the higway commission he
knew that in many towns the money was
used in the usual way. Instead of making
permanent roads the money was put into
the general fund, for which the law was
not designed. In Randolph and Brook
field good roads were made by eXcavat-
ing the centre of the roads, placing in
large stones, and covering them over
with gravel. Besides this they made
good bitches to drain the roads, which
was necessary Randolph has laid miles
and miles of these roads and not at
very large expense, considering the
wearing qualities. He believed in keep
ing in good highway commissioners.
Mayor Fuller G. Smith of ST. Albans
says that he Is an enthusiast over good
roads because he had been obliged to re-
ceive lot of kicking on account of the
Improvements they have made in St. AL
bans.
Charles j. Harrison of the road inquiry
office then told of many different methods
of building good roads. He explained
the Massachusetts and New jersey laws.
lie believed in intelligent supervision.
Clark b. Roberts of Montpelier told of
the way he built roads in Montpelier.
where the roads cost Sl.50 a square yard.
Hon. w. j. Van Patten of Burlington
was called upon and said that he was
glad to say a good word for Burlington.
He then told how they had expended
100000 in the past five years for roads
and the citizens were satisfied with them.
There are 5G miles of roads in the city,
16 miles of macadamized roads, and lG
miles of gravel. He believed that the
present law should be amended so that
1t would be expended by county COM
mission instead of a town commission.
He then offered the following resolution
Whereas, the experience in this state
of distributing the money raised by the
state road tax of 8 per cent, to the
towns in the state according to the
mileage of roads has hot resulted in pro-
curing the construction of improved or
permanent higaways and has, therefore,
been unsatisfactory in its operation.
Resolved, That 1t is the sense of this
meeting called to promote the interest of
good road construction, that the law re-
lating to the distribution of the money
raised by the said road tax should be so
amended that the fund raised in each
county should expended in that county
under county supervision, in construct