The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-09-10
FIR INK 3. HOWE. EditOr and Publishe
THE NoRTHsHIRE ATTITUDE

uC lOiiOWlh6 NUN llie hdnCHtSle
Journal represents the attitude o.
that paper toward the state board OF
health, toward Remington and toward
the good name of Bennington county:
The continued agitation of the
Court House question by certain resi-
dents of the town of Bennington, ever
after it was settled by the votes o
the citizens of the County last March
! shows a tendency to try and make
matters disagreeable to the tax pay
ers of the County.
( If the great, throbbing heart o.
/ Bennington feels toward its fellow
man to the extent of insisting on &
new Court House and Jail the Journa
would suggest that the pulsating con
tinue to it's pletloric purse and. thai
the residents of that hustling town
one of the largest and wealthiest in
the state proceed TO erect by public
! subscription the same as Manchester
has twice done a public building fol
use as a Court House and Jail anC
then sell the present County building
and use the funds as a maintenance
fund We do not think there would
be one single vote against such {
proposition.
The calling in of the state board oil
health, a most estimable aggregation
of well meaning men by the way, has
called forth criticisms and recommen
dations from that worthy body that
are to say the least, peculiar.
Peculiar because of the fact thai
the board has gone out of its way tC
make recommendation which, in our
mind are entirely outside tneir pro
vince to make, namely. THE necessi
| ty for Increasing the size of the build
ing TO meet the obvious requirements
make a change of site-apparently
necessary, We therefore recommend
that such a change be made where
ample room maybe secured for light
and air"
How long since the honorable state
board of health have been delegated
the right to- suggest that a change of
site is necessary in order that a larger
building could be constructed and at
a place where ample room could be
had for light and air?
If air is needed why not open the
windows and let in that God given
source of life! There are windows
enough to insure plenty of fresh air.
If our state board have such sweep
ing powers we may soon expect to
hear that it may be necessary to
move the State House from Montpel-
Ter to Burlington on account of the
poor ventilation of that building.
The other recommendations made
as namely:
End. The main outside doors of
the building should be changed to
swing outward, and the main stair
way should be changed to conform
to the regulations promulgated by
this board.
Bird A new system of heating and
ventilation should be installed, sUffi-
cient to heat and ventilate all the
ROOFS in the building, including the
jail If steam is utilized for this pur-
pose it should be by the direct
method, and an exhaust fan should be
installed for the purpose of removing
the foul air.
4th. All the plumbing in the build
ing should be thoroughly oyerhauled,
and new put in where necessary, and
also new fixtures.
9Th. A larger Jail and more coll
room are imperative, to meet the
need of YOUR county. The confine-
ment of ten or twelve prisoners for
a month or more at a time, in the
present Jail room, with the necessary
doubling up" in the cells at night is
a crime from sanitary standpoint.
These are well within the province
of the board to make, and we have
no doubt but that those wno are re
sponsible for the care of our county
buildings will act on the recommen-
dations at once
If its matter of plumbing, why not
have it fixed2 And why 1las it been
allowed to go so long without atten-
ton as to bring it to such condition.
Who is to blame?
Is the building as a whole to be
condemned because some particular
feature of it is not as it should be.
Any new building would have to be
provided with suitable plumbing and
there is no reason why there should
be hesitancy in providing the proper
plumbing to our present building.
There seems to be an inclination
on the part of some one to try and
force upon the tax payers of the
county that which they do not want.
Inasmuch as this is a matter for the
whole County to consider it may be
advisable to, let all hands in on some
of these conferences.
The Journal is. we fear, speaking
to mouth the preiudices of a certain
part of Manchester people and not in
the soberness of fair judgment. 1t
knows full well that it is the duty of
the county of Bennington to provide
county buildings and that 1t will have
to do it in he long run.
Manchester never built any county
buildings and this stale joke that the
Journal springs once in a while must
be intended to amuse for it has
ceased to instruct. Manchester, as
sisted by other towns, including Dor
set, Peru, Arlington and Bennington
and others, built, a good many years
ago, cheap little shack which it has
since used for a town hall. The
county also holds court in 1t, in the
absence of something better.
The building isn't a courthouse or a