Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1910-03-25
TRUNK LINE HIGHWAY
$4,000 Will Be SPENT Between
South Vernon and Putney

Inc road commissioners Of the various
towns in Windham county gathered in
Festival hail yesterday for their annual
conference with State Highway Commits
sioner Charles w. Gates. Mr.. Gates was
unable to reach Brattleboro for the morn
ing session and the meeting was called
TO order at 1870 o'clock by County Road
Commissioner David 7. Perry of Brattle-
boro All but four of the towns in the
county were represented by their road
commissioners and many were repre-
sented also by selectmen The morning
was to have been taken up with general
discussion, but in the absence of Mr.
Gates the discussion was deferred until
afternoon. Frank L. Howe. publisher of
the Bennington Banner spoke in ex-
PLANTATION of the trunk line highway sys-
TEN which he has been advocating. He
said in part
All other eastern states are building
trunk line highways. Vermont is not
1t is reasonable to think that the major
ity IS right and that Vermont is wrong
in not starting this work. During the
past five years, under the direction of
state Highway Commissioner Gates. Yer
mont has prepared an excellent foun-
dation for a system of trunk line high
ways. The good roads propaganda has
been carried into every town and now
people are demanding further advance
This advance can be made only nv the
state starting a system of trunk lines to
be owned and controlled by the state
There Will be available during the next
few years through the natural revenues
OF the state, from S20OO00 to S25OOO
a year, which can be used for road build
ing or which can be frittered away for
other purposes. The people of the state
can take their choice If they want
state system of roads they will have to
send men to Montpelier definitely pledged
TO that plan. There are in Vermont some
lou miles of highways that may properlv
! be called trunk lines. Two hundred
| thousand to two hundred and fifty thouy-
ana uoIlars year will build these roads
az rate OF 100 miles or so a year In
10 years We shall have completed a state
/ system OF highways second to that OF no
olher state. Isn't it worth undertakinEo
| rms plan Will be much better than bond
| ing because If we bond for a given sum
! II brings into the hands of the highway
! department large amount of money
/ which that department is not prepared
| 10 handle to the best advantage where
! as II We cut out other special appropria-
/ IONS and devote the natural availa HE
| revenue OF Vermont to road building the
/ highway department will be able 10 han
ule the money for the best good Of the
| state Such plan will take nothing
from the income of any town: in fact il
! IeaNes the town the same revenue that
| theN nave now, while it will take from
! practically all of them from six to 10
d 10
system, thus allowing the town more
! money to spend on the rest OF its roads
| we cannot have a full-hedged system
/ OF state roads in a day or a wear hut II
| we start on the foundation which we now
| nave II Will be but a few years before the
| burden" r"''i'oN'
Mr.. Gates arrived in time for the af
| ternoon session and the entire afternoon
! was taken up with a discussion of the
/ conuillons IN the county and the policy
| "hlch Will be carried out the coming
| year. He spoke largely on the problems
OF making the principal highways better
! nN the use Of the special maintenance
| luhd coming from the automobile rav
| ana he outlined the plan for greatly
| improving the main highway up the Con-
Iecucut valley through Vernon Brattle-
! poro' Dlmmerston and Putney in prepara-
/ lloh Tor the establishment Of a permanent
| trunk line highway over the same course
| sometime The money available for use
! IN Nlndham county from the speciaI am
serndoe tax was $2SS6.79. OF this amount
SIS'-,'9 remains uneNpendcd. II IS EXPECT
| cd mat the amount coming to Nindbar,
county from the special tax this wear
VIII be more than 5000 This amount viii
/ oe ADDED TO the surplus left over ana
/ win a good-sized appropriation from M
| regular state highway money il viii ne
| possloIe 70 90 some fine work i'm this
]
! the greater part OF the money on tbo
| main highways which are most used nv
| automobiles. 1t is probable that s506O viii
! De expended on the road between Rrattle-
uoIo ana south Vernon and the road he
W. 49, brattIenoro and Putney. This will
/ not be spent in expensive macadarn Ig,,-
| ing nut in fixing up bad stretches with
! sIaNel ana improving grade,
IN MS report of conditions in the cor,-
y MI, Gates showed the gradual increas,
III cooperation between the towns and the
! STATE commissioner Four towns d
! creased their special apnronriatiors -
year TOUR towns increased their appro-
pI4dtlohs and one town voted a snecial
| appropriation for the first time Tho
! aggregate amount voted in the county
| inns year was S36S7 as against S34S5 Ia Ct
| year. The state meets these annronria,
lions with an equal amount Prat,iI
DoIo' Rockingham and Wilmington voted
| .ie unit, $500. and LONDONDERRY voted
| 800 instead of the S2S5 voted last ,aar
NJ NJ oates gave instructions regarding
~ new plan of inspection. Under this
pan the commissioners are reouirad -
! go over every part of the bigbu,a,,s ~
/ ,ecteu Tor improvement with the state
/ highway money at least once in tuvo
weeks, making small repairs to keen tbe
road IN the best condition possibIe
I sepII"le account of the expense of this
} work VIII be kept and at the end ot
each season one-half of the entiro o,,
pense Will be refunded to the town. pro-
Vded the work has been done in accord
ance with the regulations of the state
/ highway commissioners
Ihose attending the meetings were @
W. smith of Athens David r. Perry
John Calvin, A. f. Merrill and J. G
STAFFORD Of Brattleboro. II. IT, Howe and
! y =. Osgood of Brookline Mvron q
Goodell and f, c, Tenney of Dummers-
ton William NJ. Smith of Grafton Ed
ward /. Squiers Of Guilford, w. E. Pratt
OF Halifax, w e. Foskett, r. B. Grout
r. G. Wilder and G. H. Gleason of
Jamaica. r. G. Alexander of London
derry w. A Wilson, j. NJ. Kenny and
j, w. Williams of Newfane. George r
Braley, Dana S. Angler and F. A. Aus
TN OF Putney, Fred A. Smith and James
Woolley Of Rockingham. George NJ. Hurd
ana NJ. c. Lowe of Stratton, N H. Law
renee, b. B. Howard, W. w. VanNess
ana j. II. Ware of Townshend T. E.
Stockwen of Vernon. f. o. Robinson of
Wardsboro, Charles A. Peck. c. II.
Reed and d. P. Wright of Westminster,
W, L. Tenney of Windham and Jaw II
Lawrence, superintendent of streets of
| Bellows Falls.