The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1909-06-11
Trunk Line Highways.
(Rutland IIerald.)

During the last Vermont legislature {
bill was introduced providing for the
building of trunk roads in the state. The
bill was hardly given serious attention
A bill for expending large sum OF mon
ey for building such roads in New lamp
shire was passed by the legislature Of
that state and there are now chances
that Vermont will lag behind New Hamp
shire in the matter OF road Improvement
,-Lyndonvile Union-Journal,
The Union-Journal' complaint is prac
tically. but not exactly, correct, House
bill 81, to which reference is made, was
introduced into the house October ~, long
before the general Generalization of the
post Christmas recess was dreamed of
! It's author Mr.. Howe of Bennington, was
frankly skeptical as to its success, but IN
PRODUCED it largely "for educational pur-
poses." To the surprise of nearly every
one, including the author, the bill met
with immediate, if not general favor. 1t
was laughed at by the so-called house
leaders," but it is an open question wheth,
er it would not have passed the house II
it had been promptly and fairly reported.
The committee on appropriations, how
ever, followed the usual custom of hold.
ing up the large majority of its bills until
the budget could be made up and the
trunk line proposition reposed in pig.
eonhole until the wicked extravaganza OF
the legislature along other lines had made
it's case not only hopeless but inconsider-
able
! In brief, if the state had not wasted so
much money in other directions H. 81
would have had at least fighting chance
and would have been given an intelligent
discussion. The Herald is no believer in
clogging the files of the legislature with
foolish and hopeless bills, but it would be
idle to claim that there was not merit IN
H. 81 or that it did not receive consider
abe and extremely favorable support,
though silent and unrecorded.
1t is true that New Hampshire has
passed such bill and that one of the
trunk lines will probably pass through
Hinsdale and along the east bank of the
Connecticut river. This means that the
automobile travel that now comes to Brat
tleboro via Vernon and thence northward
through Vermont, will naturally be di-
verted to New Hampshire and northward
through that state, along the new turn
pike which the state will build.
Thus. New Hampshire, which has stead
lily led Vermont in the intelligent hus-
banding and exploitation of her resources
and summer attractions, again leads
strong card with every chance of taking
another trick in the business game.
How much longer is Vermont going to
sit still and see the best of the summer
business appropriated by New Hampshire
without one-half the natural advantages
and beauties of Vermont?
This brings us naturally to the PROPOSE
ton that the town system OF making
roads is all wrong and represents deplor-
able waste of money. Hardly legislature
convenes without several towns approach
ing the state with prayer for aid in re-
pairing highways, and the appropriations
are made on the ground that highways
may properly be built in these towns with
state money because highways are state
assets.
This being the case, why should the
state not build all roads and tax all peo-
pie alike for their maintenance?
1t is absurd to say that the duty of
roads in Mendon is properly
the duty of that town, when probably
of the travel over its roads
comes from Rutland and other places. 1t |
is absurd to tax the town of Baltimore,
small, weak and hopelessly in debt, for
roads that the state and
Windsor county use more than the inhabi
Eants do themselves.
State supervision is getting us some
state roads, state roads constitutes an OBJ
ject lesson that will tell, the tendency is
inevitably to state control of all highway
money and expenditure by the states ex-
1erts.
The Herald has advocated trunk line
highways in and out of season and they
re surely coming. So also is the states
land in taxation and maintenance. Get
sed to the idea.