Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1899-12-08
SPECIAL TOWN MEETING
To Provide For Road Commissioners
Indebtedness
VIII Re Held Next Neutrality-suspicious.
ness Estimated az From 5000 60 $4,000
---LabOrers Went Their Pay.

ness Estimated az From 5000 60 $4,000
---LabOrers Went Their Pay.
A notice posted Saturday by the select
men warned the legal voters of the town Of
Brattleboro to meet In the town hall at 10
o'clock A. NJ, Thursday, Dec. ID, to act
on the following business: ITO see IL the
town will vote TO raise a sum OF money
sufficient TO pay the indebtedness of the
road commissioner for the year ending
Feb. /, 1900" The posting of the notice
was the first intimation that the voters
had that there was any Indebtedness in the
road commissioners department, and they
are at loss TO account for the fact in
view of the apparently small amount OF
labor that has been expended on the town
highways.
K. K. Stock we'll, the road commissioner,
is seriously Ill with a heart affection and
asthma at his home on Spruce street, so
he will probably not be present at the
meeting to present his side Of the case, but
IL is understood that he claims that the in
debtedness of his department is about
5000, caused largely by the work of paving
Depot street from the Main street bridge
TO the railroad. More money was expend-
ed on that road than was at first intended.
because of the fact that the southeast cor
ner OF the new bridge is IS inches higher
than that corner of the old bridge, which
would necessitate re-macadamizing the
road at that point after 1t had been graded
down from the bridge, and Mr.. Stockwell
thought that II would be better 10 put the
extra expense into permanent road-mak-
ing. Another reason for putting in large
expense on that street was that under a re-
cent order the road commissioners are
obliged TO use the state highway money,
Brattleboro's share of which Is about $500.
in permanent road-maklng instead of
using 1t for the ordinary repair work, and
TO make report to the proper state Off
Gals as to what they have done.
II is believed that the highway indebted
ness will exceed 5000 and that it will
amount TO $1,000 and possibly $1,000 The
reason for this belief is that during the
summer, when the road commissioner was
drawing about $500 week for current ex-
penses, he had drawn from $1,000 to $1,000
more than at the same time the year be-
fore. Why this was so is not known un-
less there was an indebtedness last year,
and part of the money which should
have been used to pay for this years
work was applied on the old indebtedness.
The road commissioners allowance for
highway work in Brattleboro is 20 per cent
OF the grand list, which amounts TO near
~ SlO,OOO. This has all been used and
many OF the laborers have not been paid in
full, and some of them have threatened to
sue the town for their pay. They have
been persuaded, however, that the best
way TO do is 10 wait until the town has an
opportunity to take some action. Notices
have been published demanding that all
persons who have bills against the road
commissioner for work on the roads pre-
sent them to G. +. Bingham at the Peo-
Pies National bank, and these bills will
show the amount of the highway indebted
ness. The town cannot escape paying
Whatever Indebtedness has been incurred
in the road commissioners department, so
1t will probably be the best way for the
voters to authorize the town to raise what
ever sum of money is asked for at the COM
ing town meeting