St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1907-05-01
County Road Commissioners.

Over so road commissioners and select
men attended the Caledonia county roac
commissioners meeting at Pythian Hal
last Wednesday. With the exception
of Wheelock every town in the county
was represented State Commissioner
Charles w. Gates of Franklin presided
assisted by George 0. Ford. Commits
sioner Gates has just started in on his
"good roads" campaign, having pre-.
vious to this held four county meetings
in Addison, Rutland, Bennington and
Washington counties, and he reports
more enthusiasm shown by the various
town road commissioners than ever be-
fore.
Section of Act. No. 3 of the Acts OF
1906 appropriates $4,000 annually to
be apportioned among the towns voting
more than the usual five per cent. for
permanent highway construction, in
sums equal in each case to such addi-
tional amount voted, but not to exceed,
excepting in case of surplus and redis-
tributlon, $500 to any town in any one
yCcl. 1OWuS CALL uOWCNtI, VOlG 10
raise more than 1888 additional tax and
some have done so. Up to April list
1873 towns have voted to raise addi-
tional money for permanent road con-
struction under the provision of this act.
The towns in Caledonia county taking
advantage of the above Act and the
amount voted in each case are as fol-
lows; Burke, Danville. Hardwick, Lyn-
don, Ryegate, Sutton and Waterford,
$500 each; Sheffield, $685.; Barnet, Gro
ton, Kirby, Peacham and Wheelock 5000
each. st. Johnsbury, Newark, Stan
nard and Walden voted nothing adj
ditional.
This year Mr.. Gates is taking up the
matter of permanent road construction
in different manner. Instead of lee
lures the forenoon session was devoted
to getting town commissioners in close
touch with one another and with the
state commissioner. Methods of con
struction were talked over, and many of
the men gave accounts of the things
which have bothered them and things
they have learned in their own expert
ence, the meeting being entirely informal.
The afternoon session was devoted to
practical talks of instruction on all kinds
of road construction and maintenance,
including drainage, grades, crossings,
etc.
The burden of Mr.. Gates remarks,
aside from exhorting to thoroughness
and care for the details, is reminding the
town commissioners that inasmuch as
the legislature appropriated substan-
tial additional sum for them to expend,
and their own towns raised as much
more, it is now up to them and the state
commissioner to see that this money is
spent in such manner as will meet the
approval of the people. Mr.. Gates has
Just issued from his office Bulletin No. /,
State Aid laws and general directions
for building improved highways. 1t
embodies the gist of his talk of instruc-
ton on road building and maintenance,
is illustrated with cuts and diagrams of
standard sections of road and inasmuch
as such a large percentage of the high
ways of the State are, and must of neces-
sity for years to come, remain loan,
clay or sand, valuable information is
given as to the care of these roads. The
road commissioner of each town will
have one these of valuable bulletins in his
possession within few days, and if he
studies it carefully will learn much about
road building.