The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1904-04-01
the Story of George Washington and the Cherry
Have Never Yet Found Boy Young Enough Not Say Chestnut

roads; centerlng In the country seats
usually, and should have the best and
most expensive roads, such as the ma
cadam or Telford. The second class
embraces the bulk of the mileage hav-
ing the average traffic, The improv-
ing Of these roads depends upon the
development of type of gravel road
suitable to the conditions. "The sal
vation of Vermont roads lies in her
gravel beds"
In view of the mileage in Vermont,
all but few of the towns must have
help in funds from outside in order to
improve and keep up, their roads.
There are some of the smaller towns
which cannot afford machinery and
the speaker advocated the state or
county buying scrapers and rollers
and loaning them to towns in need.
He considered the road machine first
and the roller second in the needs of
town desiring good roads.
Regarding the mileage he said the
average was go miles to a town in
this state, although Danville has l35
miles of road. The state highway tax
gives the various towns so small an
amount that with the large mileage the
money cannot be laid out to very great
advantage. Under the division, the
speaker said, So towns have less than
5000, 40 less than $500 and IL less than
800.
In the third and last class are the
back hill roads. These are usually
earth roads and will probably remain
such for many years as they are not
important enough to warrant a large
expenditure of money. But the appli-
cation of scientific principles to their
care will greatly improve them. This
includes the reduction of grades,
drainage and shaping of the road.
In review of good road legislation
in this state in the last I3 years, Prof
Votey mentioned as the first and one
of the most important steps in this dir
ection the abolition of the labor tax
and establishment of the. s.money tax 10
1892 He said so cents in money was
worth twice as much in labor to the
road builder. The per cent state
highway tax was also instituted in
1892, but for the following two years
there was no one to supervise the ex-
penditure of the money resulting there
from. 1t was turned over to the vari-
Gus towns and spent by them as they
saw fit, sometimes on roads and some
times on school houses.
When in 1894 law was passed or
dering the money to be used for per-
manent work, no penalty for disobedi-
ence was attached. In 1896 a modern
highway bill was killed in the House
and there was no state highway ofiic-
ial until 1898, when the state commits
sioner was provided for and penalties
for not using the state money properly
we're provided.
The speaker thought the time was
ripe for further legislation in this con-
nection. He thought there should be
state board and commissioner to
have general oversight of all the state
road work, control all state and nat
ional funds and have the authority to
furnish engineers to superintend or in
spect the building of roads so far as
necessary to have the money properly
laid out.
Prof Votey advocated longer term
for road commissioners and the selec-
tion of only experienced men for that
position. In conclusion he said that
while far from satisfactory, the coun-
try roads in Vermont, as a whole, are
better than those of any adjoining
state.
Not one of the four road commits
sioners Of the town and villages of
Bennington was present at the meeting.