Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1904-02-12
ECONOMY AND GOOD ROADS
p. w. CLEMENT OPENS CAMPAIGN
FOR BETTER GOVERNMENT.

He Shows How State Expenses Rave
Increased and How Farmers Lose by
Bad Roads-Would Cut Down One
and Build up the Other.
Hon. p. w. Clement of Rutland OPP
ehed his campaign for good roads and
reduction OF state expenses at Wind
sor Friday evening. Feb. s. He said In
substance:
Vermont contains 1855 square miles.
II is bounded by other states ana a
foreign nation, all Jealous of their own
prestige. 1t is the most arrant nom
sense to talk about a Greater Vermont.
Vermont never can be any greater, but
It can and ought to be made very
much better as a place OF residence. In
the last thirty years our population has
only increased about $4,000 and that
mostly within the last ten years. we
never shall better our condition by
simply listening to talk about Greater
Vermont or dreaming Of its future
greatness.
In my opinion there is no one thing
that we need at this time more than
better facilities for communication and
TRANSPORTATION We have got two main
lines OF railroad on the east ana west
side of the mountains, which give US
good facilities Of that kind. and the
cost of transportation for freight and
passengers on those lines OF road has
been steadily reduced since their con-
struction; but our wagon roads nave
stood still for one hundred years and
the cost of transportation in this coun-
try on railroads to the roads them
selves is about 100000. The estimat-
ed cost of transportation by wagon
roads is $3.50, 100000. The cost of
handling a ton of freight mile by
railroad is considerably less than one
half Of cent. The average cost OF
handling a ton of freight a mile by
wagon road is 25 cents in this country.
we cannot, of course, ever expect to
handle freight as cheap|y by wagon as
Ebv rail but we can certainly reduce the
cost of wagon transportation very ma
'terially. In Europe the average cost
of TRANSPORTATION of one ton one miie
nv wagon is 12is cents, or just haif OF
what 1t cost in this country. II, there
fore we had throughout this country
well surfaced. macadamized roads, as
exist In Europe, we could save l2s
cents a ton on all freight handled by
wagon, which would mean saving u
the country of s450,000,000 per annum'
lust about half of our national DEBT
lust think of what that would mean
to the farmer, to the merchant TO eV-
cry man, because every man would
profit by that saving in proportion TO
his business and capital
Here in this state instead of throw
ing bouquets at each other about the
beauties of Vermont suppose we go 70
work and build a few lines OF macao
Iamized wagon roads from our eastern
TO our western borders across the
mountain ranges. / need not take up
much of your time in showing the ad-
vantages of such construction OF such
roads.
Now il a man in Bennington wants
TO go TO Brattleboro or Bellows rams
the easiest way for him is to go aoWI
info the state of Massachusetts, &c
around by Greenfield and come up the
connecticut river valley 1t is prac-
tically days trip. If there We're
pood macadamized road kept in GOOD
condition every day Of the year man
would make that trip OF forty Hlles
with a good pair of horses IN Ioui
hours, or with an automobile, Wnlcn
is the coming means of Transportation
through the country, in less than TWO
hours, and think what such a road as
that would mean to all of the farmers
and manufacturers and all people liv-
ing on the line of it. on present roauS
"a farmer living six or eight miles IRON
Bellows Falls, if this is his market II
good weather can make one trip
day with a pair of horses ana loao
of a ton or a ton and half, possibly
under very favorable conditions TWO
toms. but there are many days In the
wear when his road is practically I'M
ma ssihle for a team with more than
half a ton. Suppose that he had roao
/. into your town over which ne couio
handle three tons with the same team
In any day in the year what Wouic
that add to the value of his farm
!, won't undertake to estimate the IN
creased value in figures but you car
readily see that it would increase the
value of all property located on th'
: lines of such roads.
We cannot have these roads III
moment, 1t will take time and cost
large amount of money to build them
We have got to have surveys ana plan'
made and the work of constructor
should go forward upon some wei de'
fined plan. l estimate that 1t VIII cos
s5 600 a mile to build thorough.
good. macadamized highway 10 Zee
wide. and when built such ROAD re-
ouires the minimum of expense 10
maintenance. Each road, then, shoui'
we build across the state, will cost ap'
! proximately a quarter of a million o
,, dollars. Now you will say: Thats al
right. that's all well. but where arr
YOU going to get the money!" Well
will show you:
| have been looking over the auol'
! tors reports of the state OF vernon
: and I find that thirty years ago. that
, In 1870 or 1871, it cost to operate UNI
state s2sO,0O In 1881 it cost sSoS'ooo
, In 1891. s451,0Oo. In 1901. seS5,OoO. al
. increase in that period of sS45,OVo
year for running expenses. or NOR
. than 125 per cent. Now a gooo man,
of you can remember our conditions
In 1870 1871. What have we got nov