The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-03-26

this problem Of a system OF trunk /
line highways for Vermont We can !
not afford longer TO delay a serious
and well considered attempt TO treat
the subject adequately. In the first
place the matter Of good roads is of
vital importance 10 those of US who
live here 365 days in the year and
have occasion 10 use the highways
in the second place, if We are to OBJ
tain our share Of the extensive and
lucrative tourist traffic which is one
Of the most valuable of New England
industries, We must have good roads
and have them soon. Let US remem-
Der at the outset, however. that this
plan is not simply a device TO aid
people who own automobiles but one
that viii aid a hundred persons who
operate vehicles drawn by horses,
where it will benefit one person who
operates a motor vehicle. Neverthe-
less, the automobile traffic may be-
come such an important source of
revenue to Vermont that il would be
lut uGAkll vi lOlAf " l6nOAN IL 4 NC
value of this automobile tourist bus
mess to New England is estimated
at no less than S300O0,000 annually,
Of which sum Vermont gets very lit
tie on account of poor roads.
II has been argued of late that
Vermont might save enough by dis
pensing with special appropriations
to accomplish a good deal in the
building of better roads. Ii seems
to this paper that it will be a diff
cult matter to put this theory into
execution. There are always claims,
not without merit, that come before
the legislature, in which many Yer
monters are interested and it will
be practically impossible to refuse
to pass any bills carrying money ex-
cept the regular appropriations. Ev-
cry dollar Of the states revenues
could be USED to good advantage for
permanent roads or for better
schools or FOR variety of worthy
causes. We cannot spend our money
in that way, however, any more than
family can spend its income for
one object and neglect all other
claims. We must divide the reven.
ues of the state among a variety OF
worthy objects doing the best we
can afford by each.
Among the special appropriations
cited as among those that, in the
opinion of the writer might better
have been used for good roads was
the small sum paid for the purchase
of a silver service for the battle
ship Vermont. There are some
things that states, like individuals
must do to comply with established
customs 1t is a custom that when
a state is given the honor and the
| good advertising that comes from
comforting its name on a warship
that state shall give its namesake
silver service Had Vermont fail
ed to do so the advertising we would
have received for our failure TO make
the gift would have done us far more
harm than the amount of money
spent would have benefited us in
good roads or almost any other pur-
pose
If we are to enter seriously upon
the task of building trunk line high
ways that are to be of benefit to this
generation, in all probability it will
be necessary to issue bonds. In this
way we may get good roads speedily
and by providing for a sinking fund
the debt may be taken care of in a
systematic manner We need the
roads and we need them now
We have no bonded debt and no
state tax. Our credit is good and
we ought to be able to sell bonds at
low rate of interest.
OF course many Vermonters would
regret the necessity Of running in
debt, but few business enterprises
of Importance are accomplished in
any other way. and the benefit to the
state resulting from good roads
would be so great that we ought not
to permit purely sentimental reasons
to interfere with the greatest good
to the greatest number. With goot
roads all about us we can hardly
desire to be known as the unpro
gressive state of New England where
the people are too apathetic to b'
alive to the value of good highways
This subject is one that should bC
discussed thoroughly before the mex
legislature convenes and one tina
might we'll be considered in the Re
publican platform.-Mo Jour