The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-01-06

l for greater speed in the prosecution of l the work committed to the Highway Commissioner. 1 There appears to be a popular i'm pression that the work of this depart ment has not been prosecuted with l vigor. How mistaken this is is appar- ent from the fact that during the past year ninety-f1ve contracts have been | awarded. entailing an obligation on the ! part of the State of about $800,00 and | representing about 109 miles of road. | In addition to this there has rested up- on the Highway Commissioner the bur 1 den of systematizing the repairs of ! over 600 miles of road and the appor- l tionm'ant of a very limited sum of money for these repairS-a sum totally i inadequate for the work. | Notwithstanding the inadequacy of l the appropriation, however, over 10000 | tons of stone and several thousand cubic yards of gravel were sent out, and over 300 niles of road were turn | piked and shaped up. i am convinced from an examination i of the conditions of this department 1 that the present commissioner is very l much handicapped by the smallness of i ministrative work. and that he is there 1 by compelled to take upon his own shoulders much labor that under more 1 liberal conditions he could deputize to others.
 For example, the expense of admin istration of this department in Con- l necticut has been about AZ per cent, While in Massachusetts it has been 141A per cent. Under the present law the commissioner has the power to appoint deputies, engineers and inspectors, but the appropriation will not allow him | to do so to very great extent. The commissioner should have mon IJcrb fn fo 1J1- eer in his office so that he may be re- leved of a large part of the detail work, and county engineers who can surround themselves with assistants and do the work in their respective counties. He should be, given the pow CT and responsibility of selecting these assistants and should receive your ear nest support in keeping this great pub lie enterprise absolutely beyond reach as a means of party spells. Untrain- ed deputies would only hamper the work and would defeat any effort to prosecute it along economical and sci entific lines. -.s. .' scheme of highway work, the State cannont now afford to delay it by false economy, and it should be one Of your first duties to give attention to this department
 AUTOMOBILE TRAFFIC.
 
 The automobile is no longer merely a pleasure vehicle, but is now a valuable engine Of commerce, a necessary means of quick and easy traffic and a distributor of wealth. It has already increased and will continue to increase the value of suburban lands, and it's social use has brought a vast sum of money into the state from adjoining states and thus contributed to our gen. eral prosperity. We have wisely adopt cd laws that encourage the manufac- 'ture and use of the motor vehicles.
 It is not surprising that it's opera tion has sometimes fallen into unwor- thy hands and that they have been the cause of some distressing acci- dents. The great majority of automo- bile users are careful and lava biding. am sure they will welcome any step you may take to severely penalize the reckless driver. It seems to me nec- essary that you should give attention to the points of greatest danger, the crowded streets of our cities, and pass such supplementary laws as will Oper- at to reduce the perils to pedestrians at those points. s
 E It has been suggested that the se- lectmen of the towns be given the pow CT, or as in some other states. to close at their discretion such roadways as are not State highways or main high
 
 able for general motor vehicle traffic. There are roads that are too narrow or are in bad condition for such traffic and it's removal, while not inflicting any hardship, might contribute to the public safety.
 : FORESTRY.
 Our people are at last aroused to the importance of the forests to our indus trial future and even to the public heaHh. The woodlands of Connecti- cut have been cut off so rapidly in re- cent years that we are now face to face with the dangers of freshet on the one hani and water famine on the oth ger because natures provision for regu- lating the flow of water has in large part be en destroyed.
 It was agreed by the representatives of the various New England Forestry Associations present at the Boston Conference that the measures neces- ,sary for the development of forestry in Connecticut are: Prevention of for est fires; the creation of the State forests in the various wooded regions of the State; and reform in forest tax, aticn. The present fire warden ser vice should be strengthened by co-ops eration of the railroads, the principal agen.s responsible for fires. We have now several small State forests which serve as examples of good forestry measures. The acquisition of large tracts by the State will not only be re- munerative investments, but are the most practical means of interesting private owners. There should be comnission appointed to study the present method of taxing forest land with a view to suggesting legislation two years hence.
 ..-' PRISON PROBLEMS.
 The revenues of Connecticut State prison for the past fiscal year footed up s74.S50, a figure surpassing the rec orc for any, previous twelvemonth. Managed along progressive lines, this institution is now able, from the earn- ings of productive labor, to meet lars.. part of it's operating expenses, and the drafts which it makes upon the State treasury are comparatively small
 The directors of the prison, in their biennial report, recommend that the punish1l: ent for murder in the second degre.. be changed to an indeterminate sentence. of which the minimum term shall be imprisonment for not less than twenty-five years and of which the maximum term shall be imprison- ment for life. The penalty is now rigidly fixed at life imprisonment, and the proposed revision is prompted by q Ge sire to hold out a sustaining ray of hope to life prisoners and to curb the natural drift toward insanity an'ong them. The directors believe