The Newtown bee., 1901-10-25

speaker. Mr. Hoffman said he thought
the resolution of Mr. Buckingham rath-
er ambiguous. Under the present sys-
TEN the selectmen have let out some
of the roads. Mr. Hoffman didn't like
the idea Of binding the hands of next
years board of selectmen. 81. am will
ing to admit" continued Mr. Hoffman,
''that the roads have cost us more than
they ought to have done. 1 have heard
it intimated that the horses felt so
good after days work that the driver
could hardly hold them. There is
something wrong with the present
system. A half dozen men start out
on the road work and there is no head.
1t is a good thing to have a boss. If
you have men, Mr. Moderator, that are
going to do some considerable work,
you feel that you personally ought to
give it your attention. We have two
capable selectmen in our part of the
town, Messrs Clark and Hosford, and
Whitehead in your part, who are able
and willing to give proper attention to
the towns business. The voters of
Washington say emphatically to them:
We want you to see that the work is
thoroughly done. 1t would pay the
town. 1 believe, to pay some competent
ers in charge. I remember when my
nelghbor, Mr. Williams, had a road
contract, and mind you, he did his
work thoroughly and honestly. When
storm came he would take a hoe OF
shovel and 60 out and see that every
thing was all right. Quite a number
of us feel that the contract system
isn't the proper thing. We have a
competent board of selectmen, why
not give them chance?
Judge Hickox was the next to take
the floor. The contract system wal
adopted in Litchfield and was sa tisfac
tory only for short time. 1t is ;
little cheaper system Of the two, bu
in a few years the roads begin to rul
down. The men begin to scrimp ant
the work is not done as well as i
should be. Ishould object to contract
ing the roads. Unless the town vote
the selectmen some proper compensa
tion you cannot expect them to leav
their business and work on the high
ways for 50 a day. The difficulty
here that the selectmen have no prop
} er compensation. 1 think on tn
! whole | shall vote against the resolu
. tion of Mr. Buckingham.
John NJ. Black: A few years ago W
contracted the roads, appointed an ir
} spector and had good roads. We wan
} to contract them now and get an il
. spector from out-of-town.
George B. Beers: We contracted OF
roads in Cornwall. One year they &C
a man in for inspector who got afte
the contractors sharply. The resu
was that we had good roads but /
tnever served but one year. I think
the Almighty came to earth and a
tempted to inspect roads he would ha
: a hard time. I would like to see tt
roads contracted and an inspector a
pointed who would see that they we
d properly worked.
Frank L. HallOck: | believe di
cussion of this nature is good thil
for the town. 1 think some of tt
E gentlemen have been bearing down t.
hard on the last adminiStra ton.
think our present system of dirt roa
is radically wrong. 1t is more difficu
to work the roads now than it was
years ago. Suppose you take the $40
you now eXpend on your roads and b
or stone crusher and then put t
I'd broken rock on the road and make
permanent bed. l believe it would
economy to purchase a stone crush
and put it on the roads. [ ask you
or it is economy to cart dirt to repair t
highways? We ought to consider tt
question in the light of eternity,
you please.
John M. Black: The road work.
y ought to 60 back into the bitches a
get new dirt. have worked roads