The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1904-03-10
STIRRING
ADDRESS
Hon. P. W. Clement Interests
Large Audience.
He SHOWS UP EXPENSES
Vermont Could Build Good Roads
if the States Money Was
Not "Grafted,,"
HE SHOWS UP EXPENSES

The address of Hon p. w. Clement
in Library hall Wednesday evening,
was listened to by an audience of fully
400 men and was an exceedingly inter-
esting and able discussion of matter
that is of vital Importance.
The speaker was introduced by O II.
Mason and was greeted with applause.
His topic was "Good Roads and State
Finances" and he launched at once in
to the subject
Mr. Clement paid high compliment
to Hon O. NJ. Barber declaring that
he was the best auditor the state ever
had.
The lecture was splendedly illustrat-
ed with stereoptican views showing
specimens of good roads in this coun-
try and Europe, and also some Of the
worst. In the course of his remarks
he was frequently applauded
In my opinion there is no one thing
| that we need at this time more than bet
| ten facilities for communication and
| transportation. We have got two nam
| lines OF railroad running through the
| state. north and south, on either side Of
| the Green mountains, which give rs
good accOpmOdntion Of that kind and
| the cost Of transportation for freight ard
| passengers on those lines Of road has
| been steadily reduced since their con-
| struction. but our wagon roads have
ct rrFHN
many stumps in them now as then. but
they were dirt roads lo0 yeurs ago ana
| they are dirt roads now.
WAGON AND RAILROAD TRANS
PORTATION.
The cost Of transportation in this
country on railroads is about $780,
100000 per annum.
The estimated cost Of TRANSPORTATION
| on wagon roads is $3.50 900 600.
The cost of handling a ton Of freight
per mile by railroad is considerably less
than half cent
The cost of handling n ton OF freight
by wagon road is % cents in this coun-
try. We cannot, of course, ever expect
to handle freight as cheaply by wagon
ms by rail, but we can certainly reduce
the cost OF wagon transpOrtaton very
materially. In Europe the average cost
OF transportation of one ton one mile By
wagon is 70 lf2 cents. or Just one-half
Of the cost in this country. If. how
ever, we had throughout this country
we'll surfaced macadamzed roads, as
exist in Europe, we would save 121/2
cents a ton on all freight handled bv
wagon, which would mean n saving To
the country Of s45O.O0O.0O0 per annum,
lust about half of our national debt
Think of what that would mean to the
farmer, to the merchant to every man.
V,Nnr O. l.. A..
saving in proportion TO his business and
capital
ACROSS MOUNTAIN TRAVEL
DIFFICULT
Now if a man in Bennington wants TO
go to BrattleboTo or Bellows Falls tile
easiest way for him is to go down into
the state Of Massachusetts, go around
by Greenfield and come up the Connect
icut river valley. 1t is practically a
days trip. If there were a good mac
adamized road kept In good condition
every day of the year a man would
make the trip Of 40 miles with a good
pair Of horses in four hours or with an
automobile, which is the coming means
Of transportation through the country,
ir less than two hours; and think what
sucn 1. -cnd ns that would mean to all
of the farmers aSa manufacturers and
all people living on the ..s.ne OF It.
HAULING LOADS.
On present roads a farmer living six 1
or eight miles from Bellows Falls, il
this Is his market, in good weather, can
make one trip a day with q pair of
horses and n load OF ton or a ton
and a half, possibly under very favor
able conditions two tons; but there are
many days in the year when his road Is
practically impossible for n team with
more than half ton. Suppose that he
had a road into your town over which
he could handle three tons with the same
team In any day in the year, what would
that add to the value of his farm?
won't undertake to estimate the in
creased value in figures, but you can
readily see that II would Increase the
value of all property located OH the lines
OF such good roads.
THE ESTIMATED COST.
We cannot have these roads in n mo-
ment. IL will take time and cost a large
amount of money TO build them. We
must have surveys and plans made, and
the work of construction should 20 for
ward upon some well defined plan
estimate that II will cost $4,000 a mile
to build a thoroughly good macadam-
lied highway 16 feet wide and when
built such a road requires the minimum
of expense for maintenance. Each road
then, should we build across the state,
will cost approximately quarter Of a
million of dollars OF course the towns
through which such road would RIM
eouId nnf afrnrd ~ buiid IL That ,,,o,,IJ