The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1903-03-05
THE HIGHWAYS.
Their Business Management. Plea
for Better Town Administration Of
Road Affairs.

Road Affairs.
These head lines seem to Indicate
that road matters are going wrong.
Not entirely this. Fair progress has
been made IN road improvement
throughout the State, but for the ex-
penditure made we might do better.
During the ten years of State aid to
towns for high way improvement,
there has been expended of State
money the sum of 1888, 640 and in adj
ditiOn to this the twenty per cent tax
that towns are required to raise for
road maintenance, which in the same
period of time has amounted to at
least SO, 543, $50, making total ex-
penditure in the last ten years of
"a, 41S, 200, which is 1896 for every mile
of road in the State. an average per
year of about $50 per mile. Consider
ing that this includes all streets,
roads, back country lanes, and every
thing that is an open road, and taking
into account the large mileage of mar
row back roads that are but little used
and but little money expended upon
them this showing is not satisfactory.
Dissatisfaction appears in some sec
tions, in the number of towns that APP
piled at the last session of the Legis-
lature for authority to elect more than
one road commissioner in each of
those towns. The people OF those
towns are chatting under existing con.
ditions, but their relief will be found
in improving town administration ill.,
stead of creating more of it. We were
interested to note that these towns
have usually elected new, inexperi-
enced road commissioner each year,
and have never settled down to any
continuous good road policy; so it may
reasonably be expected that simply in
creasing the number of road commits
sioners will aggravate or increase the
difficulty instead of diminishing it.
Analysing the subject to find the
cause of inefficiency, unbusinesslike
methods in town management, will
be found the chief cause. The blame
cannot all be placed upon the road COM
missioner. He is the chosen agent or
servant of the town, and the road bnsi-
ness is town business. The manage
ment of public road work should be
delegated to none but capable men.
The mistake has frequently been made
of selecting men for road commission
ers because they could accomplish
| large amount of labor or boss a gang
of men, but lacking in comprehension,
]
ability-the most essential qualities.
There is altogether too much work
done upon the roads that amounts to
but little. There is a great loss from
work being done out of season that
should have been prevented by slight
work done at the right time Neg
Letting roads that are good, or 1airly
good, until they become bad, and eX-
pensive to rebuild is poor and wasteful
management Towns should not keep
a commissioner in office who neglects
| the roads to attend to his personal
affairs and works the roads when con-
venient for himself. The responsible
ty for such conduct rests with the
town, for this is town business.
More economic measures should be
adopted for maintaining roads, and
more of the town money should be
used with the State money for pei ma
nent road work 1t costs much less to
keep a good road good than is now
used upon poor roads that are perpetu-
ally poor.
Towns that are succeeding best in
improving their roads are using an ill.,
creasing portion of their town fund,
in connection with the State appropri-
alton, in road building of a permanent
character. And if towns were re-
quired by law to provide at least one
third of the amount that is expended
i'll those towns under State supervi-
sion, it would induce better admin
istration, and increase the mileage Of
good roads
We urge consideration of these mat
tiers, and call attention to the county
road meetings which will soon be
held. At these meetings all these mat
ters are talked over and freely dis
cussed; efforts are made to plan out
and secure the adoption of better
methods and a general working sys'
TEN. The commissioners form their
plans and get the key note for the
years work, and there should be a
wide-a- wake general interest in these
meetings and the subjects there con-
sidered Selectmen especially should
be interested for their towns, and tC
aid in advancing the cause of Good
Roads.
The county meetings of the State
J will be held as follows
Addison, at Middlebury, the Add
son House, Tuesday, March "a; Ben
nington, at Bennington, the Putnam,
Thursday, March %; Caledonia at st
Johnsbury, the Avenue House, Wed
nesday, April 10; Chittenden, at Bur
lington, the Van Ness, Tuesday, Apri
Z; Essex, at Guildball, the hotel
Tuesday April 2l; Franklin, at st
Adams, the American, Thursday
April 8; Grand Isle, at South Hero
the hotel, Wednesday, April 81 La
noble. at Hyde Park, the Phoenix
Tuesday, April IA Orange, at Chel
sea, the hotel, Tuesday, March, 81
Orleans, at Newport, the Memphre
mogog, Thursday, April l6; Rutland
at Rutland, the Bardwell, Wednes
day, March 20; Washington, at Mont
pelier, the Pavilion, Thursday, Apri
23; Windham, at Brattleboro, TIN
Brooks House, Thursday, April 2
Windsor, at White River Junction
the Junction House, Wednesday
April l.
All meetings to commence at 10 ~
O'Clock a. m, with afternoon session