Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1901-03-25
OUR FARMERS.
GOOD ROADS.


cities of the state to attend the county
meetings which he has appoiner, under
the law Of 1898, to be held at the fol-
lowing places and dates:
Addison county, at Middlebury, at
the Addison house, on Tuesday, March
26.
Bennington county, Bennington, at
the Putnam, Thursday, March IS.
Caledonia county, St. Johnsbury, at
the Avenue house, Wednesday, April
II.
Chittenden county, Burlington, at
the Van Ness, Tuesday, April 9.
Essex county, Guildhall, at the
hotel, Thursday, April 25.
Franklin county, st. Adams, at the
American, Thursday, April IL.
Grand Isle county, South Hero, at
the hotel, Wednesday, April 10.
Lamoille county, Hyde Park, at the
Phoenix, Tuesday, April Is.
Orange county, Chelsea, at the
hotel, Tuesday, April 2.
Orleans county, Newport, at the
Memphremagog, Thursday, April Is.
Rutland county, Rutland, at the
Bardwen, Wednesday, March 27.
Washington county, Montpelier, at
the Pavilion, Tuesday, April %.
Windham county, Brattleboro, at
the Brooks house, Friday, April 5.
Windsor county, White River juno
ton, at the junction house, Wednes-
day, April 3.
The state commissioner informs the
town road commissioners that the
circular letter provided for in section
2, act IS, of the laws Of 1898, will be
distributed at these meetings and the
requirements of the law will be ex-
planned and discussed. Towns should
be represented by their road commits
sioners. If anything prevents their
attending, they are asked to see to 1t
that the town is represented by one
or more of it's selectmen or prominent
citizens.
The Importance Of good roads has
been much discussed in this state and
throughout the county in late years.
Their bearing upon the material pros
perity of town and state has been set
forth. There is no question as to
the Importance or value Of good roads.
The practical question is how to build
good roads and how to maintain them.
An essential element in this ques-
ton is the cost. A gooG road for a city,
and it's cost, is one thing; good
road for country town and the cost,
is an entirely different thing. The
city has stone crushers, steam rollers,
and the other machinery or lmple-
ments for building streets that are
practically solid bed of rock, and,
what is more, the city has a large
grand list and wealthy taxpayers to
provide revenue for macadamized
streets. City methods of road build
ing are not country methods.
Now at these meetings the practical
question of how to build country roads
that will be permanent, within the
limitations of that term, and the cost
of such roads, will be the first subjects
of discussion. On these points the
state commissioner has ideas, and the
town commissioners have theirs. Ex-
perience is better than theory. By
interchange of experience, by com
parison of ways of doing things, mat
ter1als used and the cost, wages paid,
etc.. all, even the officials of largest
experince, may learn something, the
inexperienced may become informed
and the doubling have their minds
cleared up.
is of the very highest importance
that road commissioners attend these
meetings, and get the largest possible
benefit from them. But the meetings
are not designed exclusively for the
road commissioners. The selectmen,
or any other town officials, and citi-
zens generally, are earnestly invited
and urged to be present and give their
ideas on the subject of good roads and
how best to make and keep them.
The state commissioner earnestly
enioins upon road commissioners es-
peciaIly the duty Of being present at
these meetings, prepared to realize
the full object of the law in providing
them.
He also asks the press of the state
to publish the notice of these meet
ings, particularly the newspapers
published at county shires, and to
bring the matter conspicuously to the
of their readers the week
before the date of the meeting at any
particular locality. They are also
asked to urge upon the public the
presented above, or