The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-01-01
At THE STATE CAPITOL.
Highway Commissioner j.. FL. Macdonald
Speaks on Good Roads.

highway commissioner JdlilsS H.
Macdonald spared a few minutes yes
terday afternoon from the routine work
of his office in the state capital to talk
with a Hartford Times reported about
the work on the roads throughout the
state during the past year. The Times
says:
Commissioner Macdonald stated that
his annual report was delayed by the
neglect of the selectmen Of twelve towns
to send him certificates of work COM
pleted on the roads in their towns.
Ninety-five towns had made application
this year for the state appropriation. OF
this number thirty-four were towns that
had made application for the balance
which the commissioner had on hand
in September, and for which ne invited
applications from the poorer towns, the
money to be used for grading. Commits
sioner Macdonald finds that his plan for
encouraging towns to engage in the
work of grading roads is becoming very
popular, and he expects that over 100
towns will apply next year for state aid
to improve their roads, this number to
or telford. There are many towns that
can afford to spend $500 or $500, but
which could not expend $1,000 on their
roads. Mr.. Macdonald cited the case of
two of these remote towns which were
enabled to do excellent work on their
roads by the sums which they received
from the state for grading. One of
these towns, at an expenditure of 1926,
had cut down five hills, and another
at similar expense cut down grade
from Is per cent. to 8 per cent besides
doing other work on the roads. Com
missiononer Macdonald, while not caring
to say anything that would influence
possible legislation regarding his de-
partment thinks that the success of the
Good roads, movement requires the
appointment of an inspector for each
county in the state. The law requires
that the selectmen of the town shall
certify as to the character of the work
done-whether it is satisfactory or not.
Continuing his remarks on this subject,
Commissioner Macdonald said that the
selectmen of remote towns are miser-
ably paid for their services to their
towns, some receiving not more than 1
cent an hour, or 10 cents a day There
are quite number Of towns where the
services of the selectmen are valued at
the rate of 80 cents an hour, if the ac-
tual compensation they receive is to be
taken as a fair estimate of the value
of the services. To expect these Off
Gals to give the work on the roads
that constant attention, during it's pro-
gress that would erla BILE them to accu-
rately determine whether the contractor
had faithfully carried out his contract
would, in the opinion of Mr.. Macdonald
be unreasonable. The selectmen are
obliged to great extent to assume that
the contractor has done honest work.
The conscience of the contractor Is,
therefore, an important factor in deter
mining whether the contract has been
carried out according to agreement In
one case where the town decided to
give the selectmen overseeing the work
on the road an additional compensation,
he was paid by the frugal town $1.40 a
day. Not one of those whose work
this S1.40-a day selectman was empow-
| cred to pass on received less than ST. so
a day. This condition would seem to
almost everybody, except the people of
the town, rather anomalous.
weeks vacation next month. His ply
sician has given him imperative orders
to take a rest, He is troubled with in
somnia. He will visit Washington, d..
c., and will, before he returns, visit his
old home in New York state. He has
received an invitation from the Y. M.
| G. A. in New Britain to make an adj
dress in that city on the subject of good
roads. He has been invited by the
board of trade of Ansonia to speak be-
| fore the board on the same subject.
| Commissioner Macdonald has accepted
these invitations and will speak in
| New Britain in February and in Anso-
MIA in January.
| Labor Commissioner Samuel B.
| Horne will have his report out in the
course of couple of weeks. He con-
| versed with the Times reporter about it
| Wednesday afternoon. Colonel Horne
| said he had abandoned his purpose of
| discussing, in his report the question of
| the municipal ownership of gas, cleo
| trio light, water, etc. But he has col
| lected some interesting data in regard
| to the matter. He finds that there are
only two municipalities in the state that
own their electric light plants. One of
them is South Norwalk and the other is
Jewett City. In both cases municipal
ownership has proved success Mr..
| Parker, one of Colonel Horne's clerks,
who was present, stated that in South
| Norwa1k the municipality can light
the city for $6S per light giving as
| good light and as long service each
night as the city of New Britain en-
| joys at an expense of S110 per light for
| the year. South Norwalk, by it's char
| ter, is precluded from furnishing cleo
tric light for commercial purposes. The
plant in Jewett City has not been run
ming a year yet, and the officers are not
in position to give specific returns,
| but in a general way they have inform
ed the labor bureau that they are en-
tirely satisfied with the results. Colonel
| Horne will have a great deal to say
about the rate of wages paid to clerks,
men and women, in stores. He has had
queries sent out to about $500 persons
throughout the state and has received