The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1907-11-05

J CURRENT COMMENT.


ueod hpada movement SpteAue,
The Connecticut towns have been
prompt 90 avail themselves Of the new
good roads Law. and the greater part
81 them have applied iof maximum ap.
porsionnents lor good foads eonstru,
ION. The demand has been In excess 81
nc appropriations and the state high
way commissioner has been compelled
70 cut down the various allmmenis
Stlll, the distribution i 10 be very gen
sral. Provision has been made fof the
expenditure OF about ! million and q
ihird dollars for this purpose. and u
honestly aud scientifically applied II
VIII give the state nj advanced and
high standing In an Important economic
respect.
But the movement while Fastened
somewhat BY favorable legislation vhlch
puts the burden Of those projected i'm
proyements largely upon the state, i By
no means confined 20 Connecticut, The
impulse has even penetrated 20 New
hampshire aud the problem 4 being
worked out on a large scale Ia New
FORK state, where 10000. 000 Il 10 BE-
ultimately expended Ia our own state
there Is steady. even and substantial
progress from year 10 year, and IN the
story Of what i being achieved along
these lines, the record Of Massachu
sets il always approtingly included
Whether the public a conscious Of Il or
not. there Il correlation Of good roads
interests with the deep waterways 81.
terests and also With those Of the rail.
- T.. f..f a.. t..aa - - .s~.-.f
railroad systems are even now directing
their efforts toward securing the i'm.
provcmsnt Of the common roads which
they recognize as direct feeders to their
lines.
The consciousness Is all the time
growing clearer 10 the public mind that
a general improvement Of the roads Il
one Of the essential factors IN our ma.
tional transportation system whether BY
land or water, and the more rapidly the
work Of coordination u carried out. the
sooner shall We obtain relief for the
congested production Of the country.
There are over 100000 miles OF public
roads IN the United States. 30 We have
some idea Of the tremendous problem
ahead Of Us. Good roads u rather
an indefinite phrase. II may mean those
extensively constructed or u may mean
those where natural advantages OF soil
have been economically utilized. The
state which has the largest mileage Of
what are known a. improved roads 4
Indiana, which is credited with 25sII
miles.
Massachusetts, has about 1000 miles,
a larger achievement In proportion 20
area than IN Indiana. The miles Of ma
tional road IN France are almost identi-
cal in number with those Of Indiana,
bat when We learn that they have cost
the government about s3o4.0Q0,0o0. Il is
evident that the same term has q diff
ferent meaning in the two countries.
let Consul skinner sent from Marseilles
very full report 10 cur government
last month. upon what the French are
doing. and their methods furnish very
stimulating models upon which the new
and growing impulse IN the United
States may exploit itself II Is a sin
eular fact that the public ways upon
which We have had 10 depend for inter.
communication since the beginning Of
our history should be among the last Of
our institutions TO be developed. Dos
ton Transcript.