The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-11-29
What viii Vermont doY

out observation, an editorial from the
Bennington Banner on Trunk Line
Highways" In this editorial which
we commend to our readers, the Ban
ner not only gives expression to, and
Celebrates upon, the well-known ad-
vanced ideas of its editor, but, the
Standard believes, voices the progress
sive opinion of the state.
The people of Vermont are getting
their eyes open to our lack OF good
highways and for that reason the
movement in favor of trunk line high
ways will not down and unquestion-
ably is going to be the prominent is
sue in the next state legislature.
Throwing aside all theories and
prejudices, let us look at the question
from broad practical standpoint.
The concentrated wisdom of Vermont
certainly cannot be greater than that
of our sister states in contiguous ter
ritory and every other New England
! state is putting in trunk lines of high
way under state supervision and not
only putting them in but maintaining
them after they are built by the state.
| SNcNC VI lNllOQC lolduQ udS just
spent $1,350,000 on state highways
and next year will see the completion
of the trunk lines which reach into
every section of the state forming a
net work of splendid thoroughfares.
The last legislature of Connecticut
appropriated millions for trunk lines
of which there are to be eight lines
north and south and the necessary
number east and west, bringing all
| parts of the state into close connec-
tion by means of first class modern
highways. The Massachusetts high
way commission announces that with
in two years the trunk lines travers-
! ing every part of that state. will be
completed, so that a person can go
from one section of the old Bay state
to the other on modern roads. New
Hampshire has appropriated 81 000,-
| 900 for three trunk lines and the
routes have been selected and the
work commenced. These lines start
at three different points in the south
ern part of the state and converge in
the White MountaiA region. The
state of Maine has fallen into line and
| the last legislature appropriated mon
| - " bUiiu II uilh llitS vi HIGHWAY.
Now what is Vermont doing?
Since that highway law of i906 was
passed there has been expended prac-
tically $650,000 for permanent roads.
and what is the result of this expen-
diture of money towards giving Yer
mont trunk line highways?
To answer the question properly
and without any bias, let one start to
go from Richford to Bennington on
the west side from Newport to Brat
| tleboro on the east side from White
| River Junction across the southern
part, from Burlington to st. Johns
| bury across the north central section.
and how much highway will be found
| that viii compare in the slightest de-
gree with the roads in Connecticut
Rhode Island. Massachusetts or New
YORK? The Standard ventures to say
mat we have practically none.
Now II we had expended this $780,
ooO for trunk lines we would have 1870
miles of splendid macadam roads in
| vermont, strip that would reach
from Richford to we'll beyond Rut-
| land.
Let us lookat it from another stand.
point. Suppose we take the $3.50 600
for eight years and put it into trunk
line highways, which would mean 81.
,~O,OOO giving us 400 miles of first.
class roads. Would not this be a bet,
Ter business investment than the way
In which the money is being expended
at the present time, resulting practic-
ally in patch work. a piece here and
| piece there, with no connecting
INKS and with no reasonable proba.
bllity of there ever being any.
another fundamental weakness in
our present law is the fact that when
| a piece of permanent highway has
| been built, instead of being maintain.
| ed by the state, IT is turned over To
the different town authorities and in
snort time, as shown in various in.
stances that have come under our oh
servation. ii is seen that the largo
| amount laid out for good roads has
Deen wasted, as the local highway
commissioner in most towns is wholly
| incompetent to keep these highways
up 10 the proper standard. This is
NOT good business management.
The Standard has said. and now 70.
peats, that good work has been done
| under the present law and here and
there notable improvements have
oeen made but the whole present mol
icy is too narrow and provincial and
VIII have to be displaced by a more
round, progressive and continuous mol
| icy. pr
The problem of financing a plan of
trunk line highways is not unsur.
mountable. The Standard would NOT
advocate merging what is now known
as the five per cent highway into a
trunk line fund, for this money is
needed and should continue to be
used in improving the minor highways
IN the respective towns.
But the remainder of the state
highway money could be made the mn.
cleus of financial plan, which the
standard considers feasible. and
when would guarantee a system of
trunk line highways so vitality neces.
sary if Vermont is to keep pace with
her sister states in material progress
ana Observation-Disclosures Stan.
dard. '"
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