The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1899-06-28
Roads.

Editor of Journdl:-Your discus
sions of the road subject we have read
with interest, and especially your re-
cent editorial GAS to Permanent Coun-
try Roads," which laid bare the condi-
tons here in Vermont.
The law granting State aid for roads
requires that the five per cent State
tax shall be expended by the town
road CON missioner in permanent work
upon the thoroughfares, but does not
define what permanent work is or
shall be. Now let us remember that
this law requiring permanent work was
enacted at time when we had an eff
fcient highway commission, and its
able secretary, Prof. j. w. Votey, who
is good authority both scientific aud
practical on road building, was in COM
munication with the town road COM
missioners, giving advice and instruc-
ion in practical road matters; and
while this continued, good progress was
made in road improvement. The re-
suits of the new road system began in
1892, and, strengthened in 1894, re-
curing permanent work, were entirely
satisfactory.
The report of the State highway COM
mission in 1896 stated that ''the cOndi-
ton of the highways has been greatly
improved in the last few years, and
that more good, substantial work has
been done since 1894 than in the eight
or ten years preceding" This was
was confirmed by the statements of
persons from different towns that the
roads of their towns were greatly i'm
proved, and that, too, without addi-
tional cost, and yet an erratic Vermont
Legislature in 1896 abolished the State
highway commission, leaving the town
road commissioners without any higher
authority to advise or direct in the ex-
penditure of the State aid, the State
continuing yearly distribution to the
towns for road improvement of $S4,-
600, with simply the advice to use it in
permanent work.
The abolishing the State commission
was demoralizing to the cause of good
roads. Many towns made no separate
account of the State tax and it went
into the general fund, to the neglect
of the roads. Complaints of the neg
lected condition of the roads were fire.
quent in 1897, and before the end of
the biennial term there was strongly
expressed dissatisfaction with road con-
ditions generally.
During the expiring hours of the leg
islative session of 1898, a few friends of
the cause were successful in their at
tempts to reestablish the State high
way commission to have supervision of
the expenditure of the State tax through
the town commissioners, the practical
operation of which will depend much
upon the competency and efficiency of
the State commissioner.
The plan under which our State is
working, with some notifications per-
haps, is good one, and the principle
of State aid believe to be just and
right. Wherever we travel in the
country towns, the devastated forests,
the unfertile farm, and the empty farm
house are evidences of what these
towns have contributed toward the
building up of the large towns and
cities and the general welfare of the
State, and it is good State policy to rem
der aid to these towns to be laid out
under safe and practical supervision for
maintaining roads and schools.
Towns that have made good choice
OF q man for road commissioner and
continued him in Office have made sat-
isfactory progress in improving their
roads. The best and most economical
management has been where the town
commissioners has divided the work in
to two classes, keeping separate ac-
counts with each department, under the
divisions of road maintenance, and
permanent improvement.
For maintaining the roads, the road
machine is too much relied upon and
too much used. The old method of
| going over the roads once each year,
tearing up the earth after it has be-
come hard settled, and hauling upon
the road surface sods, stones and soft
earth utterly unfit for road material, is,
or should be, abandoned. The coun-
try roads, as general thing, do not
wear out, but they go to waste through
neglect. Roads should have constant
and watchful care, and no road COM
missioner should attempt to personally
care for all the roads of his town. The
roads can best be kept by men selected
and appointed by the town commission.
err, each to care for section of road in
his locality. l have seen this tried
with excellent results. Each man APP
pointed was provided with pass book
in which to keep his time work, and in
1t was stated the limits of his section,
with instructions to 60 over his section
OF the road when water from the melt
ing snow was running, to keep the
bitches open, the culverts clear, the
| email stones picked up. and TO remedy