Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-08-18
MONEY FOR STATE ROADS
Commissioner Macdonald Anxious to
Spend the Appropriation.


Spend the Appropriation.
We learn from the New Haven Pal
adium that Highway Commissioned
Macdonald is hopeful of having the
towns OF Oxford, Lyme, Wolcott, Can
terbury and Danbury participate this
year in the state appropriation for
good roads Improvement These arc
saad to be the only towns which have
not yet drawn state money under the
good roads law. Still again we read
that tine commissioner is very much
pleased with the way the different
towns are reporting the result of their
meetings with regard to voting appro-
priatons in connection with the state
appropriations, and he feels that near
~ all of them will have taken the ne
cessary action by August 10"
We have heard much talk of this
kind from the commissioner and have
once or twice raised the question
whether it represents really sound
view of the purpose with which the
office was created. He evidently
thinks it is. He conceives it to be his
duty to get the whole appropriation
authorized by the state~taken up every
JOdLs d11u uC lbs dlu d33sAA4A AGaea~@C
appeals to the towns to get in and get
their share. We do not question his
conviction that his view is the sound
one, but we have never been Tbie to
believe that the object of the state is
to make sure that the whole sum au-
thorized to be expended in any two
years as subvention TO towns IN
building roads within their own linn
a real demand for it from the people
among whom the road is to be built,
or unless it is Immediately necessary
to make a connecting link between
roads already good, in a town where
the naturally connecting piece Is not
good.
We cannot avoid a feeling that in
most cases a town which does not
care to go into road building, even II
the state pays two-thirds of the cost,
may as well be left alone until it real
ICES that it is falling behind. Perhaps
it will not fall behind. 1t may have
enough public spirit and enough mon
ey to build all the roads it needs IN
it's own way and without advice or
supervision, as used to be Sre way
with West Hartford, unless our mem
DRY is at fault. 1t is not that good
roads are not desirable everywhere.
1t is not that there is any objection to
the state contributing to the cost in
towns which cannot well afford the
work, or in which the Improvement
of some road is quite as important TO
the inhabitants of other towns as 1t
can be to those Of the town In which
the road is situated. In all such cases
state aid is an excellent thing. But
there are cases in which the only real
reason for building under the state
road law is that the town is to get
something for nothing. 1T is difh-
cult to believe that this is a good thing
for the town or for anyone concerned.
Unless peculiarly unfortunate a town
should be able to pay it's own way and
should take pride in doing SO. There
are towns which cannot, but they are
not very numerous. In most cases 1t
is only a question whether they care
enough for the improvement to put up
with some inconvenience or to go with
out something else SO that it may be
obtained. But well-to-do towns
should. we think, take pride in show
ing that they are fully able to provide
all that their citizens require.
As we understand it the highway
commissioners feels that after the stase
has authorized the expenditure Of a
certain sum it is part of his business
to see that it is all used. Allowing
largely for his enthusiasm as to road
building, there remains the question
whether in this particular case this
enthusiasm may not lead to course
tlrat he would not follow in other mat
tiers. He wants roads, first rate roads.
all over Connecticut. To build them
will cost more than the state will ap-
propriate in a number of years, there
fore it is natural to regard any failure
to use all the money available in any
one year as a failure to advance the
work, and therefore a fault. All
which leads to the question whether
it is desirable and creditable to have
an unexpended balance in other de-
partments. but undesirable and dis
creditable to have one in the office OF
the highway commissioner.
What we doubt Is the expediency of
egging towns on to build unless there
are stronger reasons than usually exist
for such stimulation. Perhaps the
commissioner himself can make this
clear He has a persuasive tongue
and pen. and if he should apply him
self to the task we should expect as
good a. statement of his conception or
the situation as could be made.-Hart-
ford Times.