The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-12-31
ANNUAL HEARING
State Highway Commission Gives
a Report of Its Work in Wor-
CeSter County
ONLY THREE TOWNS FAIL
TO FILE PETITIONS
Representative Men of the Coun-
ty ReCite the Needs of Their
Respective Towns

The annual hearing before the Massa-
chusetts highway commission was held
yesterday afternoon in the criminal
court room at the county court house.
The commission is composed of Presi-
dent Thomas c.. Mendenhall, of the
Polytechnic Institute of Worcester,
William f. McClintock of Chelsea and
Charles w. Ross of Newton. Mr.. Ross
was unable to be present
At o'clock Chairman Mendenhall
opened the hearing by reading brief
report of the work done up to jan 1,
1899, in the matter of state highways.
Previous to Jan. l, 1S99 in Worcester
county, 80 petitions have been received
by the commission. During the year,
1879, four petitions have been received
asking up to date for about 1882 miles
of roadway.
Petitions were received from cities
and "a towns in the county Berlin,
Clinton and Northbridge being the only
towns that have not filed a petition
Nearly Al miles of layouts were made
IN the county previous to Jan. 1, 1885,
and during this year, $50 miles of lay
outs have been made. There are sections
yet incomplete in the towns of Leices-
ter, Warren, Grafton, Spencer and West
Brookfield. The percentage of miles laid
out to miles asked for is 1897. The per-
centage of miles constructed to miles
petitioned for, is 1913 The percentage
of estimated mileage of state highways
| in Worcester county to total estimated
state mileage, is 21.92 The. percentage
of miles petitioned for in Worcester
county to miles petitioned for in the
entire state, is 2109.
County Commissioners Henry G. Taft
/ o nd
part in the proceedings, but Chairman
Emerson Stone was not present.
DR.. Mendenhall said the commission
invited the freest comment and wished
as many of those present who felt dis
posed to make brief remarks, to do so.
| The commission was but human and
liable to mistakes as much as any other
public body
County Commissioner Taft then be-
gan reading the names of towns in the
| county in alphabetical order. There
1 were no responses from Ashburnham,
! Athol or Auburn.
For Barre, George W. Cook said that
the town had received 3100 feet of state
road. He believed in the
| POLICY OF STATE HIGHWAYS
being built where the roads are in the
worst condition and there is the most
ing. There is a good road from Barre
station to Barre centre. Mr.. Cook then
went on to describe the work that has
been done in Barre on the highways
during the past year.
w. A. Wheeler of the board of select
men of the town of Berlin wanted a Sec
ton of state road in the town. No road
has been asked for in the past, but
there is an urgent need for state
highway in the town.
There was no response from Black
stone or Bolton. For Boylston, G. L.
Wright spoke of petition for a state
road that had been presented to the
highway commission. He hoped that
the petition would be granted. Mr..
Flagg also spoke in favor of a section
of state road in Boylston.
In Brookfield, F. E. Prouty said there
were three new sections of state road
laid out where there is the heaviest
teaming. The roads are giving great
satisfaction.
Hon. D. H. Chamberlain, ex-govern-
or of South Carolina, spoke eloquently
on the needs of highwaymen all over
the state. He believed that roads
should be put in those towns too poor
to pay for highways, and the sections
should be built at those points where
the ground is Doggy or sandy, and
where there is the heaviest teaming
| He pleaded for a broader view of the
! highway question. The general sys-
tenn of roads throughout the state
ought to be considered and the hear
| ing should not be solely for the pur-
pose of presenting petitions for individ-
ual towns. Mr.. Chamberlain also spoke
| in favor of better reads for West
Brookfeld. Mr.. Lyon spoke for the ex-
tension of state highways between the
towns of Brookfield, West Brookf1eld
|
spoke for North Brookfield.
| There was no response from Charlton
or Clinton.
NJ. T. Knapp, in behalf of the town
Of Dana, urged that it's petition for
state highway receive some recognition
| from the commission. Although the
town was "a small one, there was much
travel there in summer.
There was no response from Hard
wick. A. E. Pratt spoke for Dudley
A. w. Bryant gave an earnest plea
for a state road in Harvard He said
the town was situated on hill ewhere
good :.
ROADS WERE A NECESSITY
Many summer boarders came to Har-
ward and they complained of the poor
kcondition Of the roads there. A petit
ton for a state road was filed three
years ago, and Mr. Bryant wished to
know what had become of it.
In Holden, T. B. Holt said there were
three sections of highway, over the
worst portions of road in the town
limits. There was considerable travel
between Holden and Worcester, and
the inhabitants of Holden were CRATE
full for what the highway commission
had done for them.
There was no response from Hope
| dale, HubbardSton or Lancaster.
| For Leominster, Samuel A. Stevens, a
prominent manufacturer and member
of the board of trade of that town.
made a humorous yet eloquent plea for
Leominster He said that he had been
coming before the highway commits
sion for several years, with ardent
hopes ard always went back to Leon
inster fully expecting that the petition
for highways would be granted. When
| he saw. the map of the county covered
| with blue lines representing state
roads, in imagination he had seen these
| lines going through the town of Leom-
| mister: But so far imagination had not
become reality and hope deferred
makes the heart sad. Mr. Stevens said
he had ridden over roads in Italy,
| Switzerland and the ancient Roman
| roads in England, and nowhere in Eu-
rope did he see such poor roads as are
| in evidence i'll this country and in this
state 1t was a pity that one of the
! worlds greatest nations and the best
little state in the union. should have
such poor roads. And since there was
a commission appointed for the express
purpose of granting sections of high
way throughout the state, he felt that
Leominster should receive some recog-
milton.
He was glad to meet all the pleasant
gentlemen who were in the custom of
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