News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1903-03-11
THE HIGHWAYS.
Their Business Management. Plea for
Better Town Administration of
Road Affairs.

ROdd 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 highway Improvement.
there has been expended of state
money the sum of $3.50, $40, and ia
addition 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 $3, SAB. $50, making total
expenditure in the last ten Years of
$4,41S, 200, which is 1896 for every
mile of road in the state, an average
per year OF about $50 per mile. Con
sidering that this includes all streets,
roads, back country lanes, and every
thing that ia an open road, and tax
ing into account the large mileage of
narrow back roads that are but little
used and but little money expended
upon them, this showing ls not salts
factory.
Dissatisfaction appears in some
sections, in the number of towns that
applied at the last session of the Lpgis-
lature for authority to elect more
than one road commissioners in each
of those towns. The people of those
towns are chatting derexisting con-
ditions, but their, relief will be found
in improving town administration in
stead of creating more it. We were
interested to note that these towns
have usually elected a new ineXperi-
enced road commissioner each year,
and have never settled down to any
continuous good road policy; so 1t
may reasonably be expected that
simply increasing the number of road
commissioners will aggravate or in.
increase the difficulty instead of di-
minishing it.
Analysing the subject to find the
cause of inefticiency, unbusinesshke
methods in town management, will
be found the chief cause. The blame
cannot all be placed upon the road
commissioner. He is the chosen agent
or servent of the town, and the road
business is town business. The man.
agement of public road work should
be delegated tOnOne butcapable men.
The mistake has frequently been made
of selecting men for road commission
ers because they could accomplish a
large amount of labor or boss a gang
OF men, but lacking in comprehension,
good road judgement, and business
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 sea-
son that should have been prevented
by slight work done at the right time.
Neglecting roads that are good, or
fairly good, until they become bad
and expensive to rebuild is poor and
wasteful management. Towns should
not keep commissioner in office who
neglects the roads to attend to bis
personal affairs, and works the roads
when convenient for himself. The
responsibility for such conduct rests
with the town, for this is town bust
ness.
More economic measures should be
adopted ter maintaining roads, and
more of the town money should be
used with the state money for per-
manent road work. 1t costs much
less to keep a good road good than
is now used upon poorroads that are
perpetually poor.
Towns that are succeeding best in
improving their roads are using an
increasing portion of their town fund,
in connection with the state appro-
priation, in road building of a per-
manent character. And if towns were
required by law to provide at least
One-third of the amount that is ex-
pended in those towns under state
supervision, it would induce better
administration, and increase the mile
age of good roads.
Weurge consideration of these mat
tiers and call attention to the county
road meetings which will soon be held.
At these meetings all these matters
are talked over and freely discussed
efforts are made to plan out and Sc
cure the adoption of better methods
and a general working system. The
commissioners form their plans and
get the key note for the years work,
and their should be a wide-a-wake
general interest in these meetings
and the subjects there considered.
Selectmen especially should be inter
ested for their towns and to aid in
advancing the cause of Good Roads.
These county meetings of the state
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,
Wednesday, April Is; Chittenden, at
Burlington, the Van Ness, Tuesday,
April 4 Essex, at Guidhall, the hotel,
Tuesday April 81; Franklin, at st.
Adams, the American, Thursday,
April 8; Grand Isle, at South Hero,
the hotel, Wednesday, April s; La
mobile, at Hyde Park, the Phmoix,
Tuesday, April IA; Orange at Chez.
L., l.