The Newtown bee., 1907-10-04
TOWN TOPICS. THE ROAD QUESTION. Interesting Views as Set Forth by
 David (. Peck.

! It will be up to the voters at the next
 annual town meeting to dispose of that
 troublesome question, the working of
 the highways. That the present sys-
 tenn of road working under the super
 vision of the selectmen and attendant
 contract letting which has been in use
 for a number of years has not proven a
 success goes without saying. In stat
 ing this the writer intends no reflection
 upon the present board of selectmen,
 rather the fault is in the system itself.
 We cling too much to the methods in
 use in our grandfathers' time of work
 ing the roads in June, patching in Sep- tember and letting the roads take care of themselves the rest of the year.
 Aside from highways, improved with state aid, our highways are not in as good condition as they were 25 years ago. Last winter was unusually severe
 and the frost went ill deep. In the spring the roads except the state roads were in depIorable condition From
 every school district the cry went up of stretches of impossible roads, mire
 beds abounded, teams were stalled and travel reduced to the minimum. Nine times out of ten the trouble was caused by unopened or defective sluices, ditches filled with water to the crown of the road, unopened water courses, or water working its way under the road bed from a point higher up to break out lower down and form mire bed, conditions where frost does it's most effective worN. Here and there were stretches of well crowned and well drained roads, conspicuous in the gen eral upheavel, that stood the test far ly well. 1t is evident we must have a change, that the tune has come for the adoption of an improved system of working the highways, a system more in keeping with modern conditions. For reasons obvious to every intelligent tax payer the selectmen should not work the roads The contract system is obsolete and does not produce the re- suit expected.
 We are so much in the ruts in road working that a radical change from present methods are beset with difficult ties. So much depends upon intelli- gent direction and faithful carrying out of well devised plan. A system which has worked we'll elsewhere and would prove satisfactory in Newtown if the right men could be found to take hold of it., is for the town to appoint two road supervisors, one for each vot- ing district who shall, employing the necessary help, work the highways in their respective districts, keeping them in good condition, weather permitting at all seasons of the year. Furthermore the supervisors should inaugurate q system of gradual road improvement by opening and building needed sluic- es, draining, grading and widening where needed, and the removal of obstacles for the free sweep of | the road machines. The town should appropriate funds sufficient to success fully carry out this plan say, an amount | equal to the yearly cost of present plan adding salaries of supervisors and enough more to start permanent inn provement. The supervisors should { be required to furnish bonds for faith | ful performance of duties and made | accountable to the selectmen.
 How much will it cost to open the now useless sluices and replace those removed that are essential in a well ordered road system, and were considered so essential in the days when we had no road machines?
 Farmers, Milkmen You, who use the highways every day and pay large proportion of the taxes, how do you stand on this question? How about the roads, last spring?
 The owners of automobiles and their friends are reported by the press as spending large amount of money in the state. Is it wise to discourage tour lsts from using our highways by keep ing them in poor condition for travel?
 Suppose serious accident Collision