The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1910-03-04
PLAN FOR SYSTEM
OF STATE HIGHWAYS
Bonding Of State Would Not Be
Necessary.
COULD BUILD 100 MILES A yEAs
Apparently Feasible Plan Outlined by
Frank u. Howe. Father Of Trunk'iine
hin in Last Legislature save IN
Number Of special Appropriations.


Editor Londonderry SITTER
has. noi-i iT.m time Ia iins. The oi'i.'
,ilion -Npr,,,-l l., The sitter TO the build
lng II a system ol trunk line highways b,
tie .iai. oi Vermont hut u srrms 10 ,n'
that the objections of The SITTER have beet
al hast PARTIALLY due 10 misconceptions
al the plan a. originally proposed and a.
.ino. advocated b, come Al leasi oi ihoss
aho have hoInc a part IN the discussion
| With ,ouI kind permission ! would like u
p,.seni a plan which ! believe do-s away
| aiih na.i al the objections you have list
al and Plan which am convinced l.
| feasible and desirable,
The Tall before the lrgi,laiurr Of lgn
Provided iuT ih. construction OF about ~
mile. at main line highway. including two
road. the rngih II the stale and "a
ro-. siai. linr.. Even this limited system
would include a part al the roads N some
~. 81 o,-r one.half II the towns IN Yer
muni aud an average ii abou, IA miles IN
each ii ih-re ~ towns, u could thus
hardly h. said Ia fairness that 4 was a
schrmc io favor a lev towns a. the rA'
lrnsr oi the majority ~ has been charged,
IN this ease, however, a. 10 all other,
di.tnssion OF the matter bring. suggcsiions
Those who have given time aud thought 10
the matter that state system Of roads
should include considerably more than the
s1 miles originally proposed. In fact, 4
!, already definitely planned by some OF
those interested to present Ia the legisla
turc Of 1910 bill calling ior the building
ni about | 800 miles of the state road with
the proviso that a. fast a. they are built
ihey shall become the property ui the state
aud the state must thereafter MAINTAIN
them. thus relieving the town Of a part Of
their burden aud at IN. same time enab'
ling the state To- control the property IN
which il has invested IL money,
such system Of $40 miles ~ -iat.
roads would pa. through approximately
rs OF IN. 90 towns IN the state, while IN
most instances the towns not touched
wonld he directly benefited through hav'
ing pan OF thes. roads forming hnk be
tween them aud their market towns.
To make up the total Of 1890 miles there
would he added To the $40 miles suggested
ia the hill Of two year. ago the principal
county road in each of the several counties
Of the state. connecting the chief market
towns with their principal tributary vll'
lagos. a.. for instance. a line down the West
River valley from Londonderry with the
trunk line across the north part of the
town of Londonderry with the trunk line
across the state from Manchester TO Spring
field. This il but a sample suggestion. All
over the state there would be these main
county roads and connecting links, bring
ing the total up to about 500 miles that !
think should be included in a state system
OF road building.
Now | am very much in favor OF the
state rebuilding these l5O0 miles Of road
and maintaining them a. state system,
and ! believe il can be done without bond |
ing the state. am unqualifedly opposed |
10 bonding the state except in ease OF dire |
necessity, and ! do not think that the ne
ressity exists in this case The roads can |
be built at the rate Of 100 miles year
without bonding
To finance such a system Of state roads |
Turing the next few YEAR il is chiefly |
necessary 10 devote the natural increase
n the income of the state to the purposes
II road building instead OF blowing the
money for les important things.
Few people realize it, but il Is TACT
hat the income of the state of Vermont is
Increasing at the rate OF more than fifty
housand dollars year. In 1895 the gross
income OF the state was S4105S1. In 1908.
4 years later and the latest year Of which
report is available. the gross income was
tate has practically 1925. 600 more to spend
wear now than it had Il years ago
The increase in state income continues
light along The tax on savings bank de
,o~its this wear will be 100000 more than
wo years ago and 100000 more than 1902 ,
Don't think this money will be left in the !
tate treasury for il won't. II is bound to
e spent. but the state can have IL spent I
! building a state system of main roads If
he voters OF the state will send men to t.
lontpelier next fall pledged to that pur.
oSe.
So far ! have dealt only with the natural
lcrease in state income, but it is possible
} do better than that. The state is al.
eady appropriatng $4,000 year, all OF
hich practically goes into work on those
Dads which would be included in state
'stem. Surely $4,000 of the $4,000 APP
ropriation could be added to the trunk
ne fund without injustice.
All this, remember, does not take pen
7 of income away from any town In
CURING the state income above | have not
cluded the state highway tax, which the
ate collects and pays back to the towns.
would not favor taking this money for
ate roads for the towns need it to put
to their other roads, except perhaps when
e state built stretch of several miles of
ate road through town it might be
ought best to use that towns state mon
toward il for that year only. No town
ould object to that
Let us look little further in the drec-
on of ways and means. In reading the
It biennial report OF the state auditor
I'd that for the two years ending July.
OS, the state spent a good deal of money
special appropriations. Some of the
f,f
VS.:
orage vault and gliding dome. IS 1913
orrlil nan ........,,........... 0,0O0
mestown exposition ............. 10000
ttleship Vermont, silver service. 4,023
vision OF statutes. ......,........ 10000
nd bar bridge. observation-disclosures. 300
Xat1on commission ............ $3.50
Just in these few items there is tidy
al OF Sl25,0OO, and to them might he
ded some special appropriations of the
t session such as $4,000 for the ter
ltenaIy, $4,000 to ventilate the state
use, $4,000 to the state fair, and doubt
5 Others which do not now call to mind
together the special appropriations spent
to be spent in four years will amount TO
IN $500 600 to S250000. This, remember,
without touching the regular state ex-
use IN which we all know it is possible to
Ike some thousands Of dollars of saving.
realize, of course, that it is not possible
do away entirely with special appro-
atoms. Cases will arise where they are
md to be allowed, but at the same time
eel sure that it is possible for a few
rs to keep these special appropriations
a minimum and devote the money to
lding state roads and at the same time
lpelling the use of the increase in state
ome for the same purpose.
through building the system as outlined
ost 80 per cent of the towns of Vermont
nd be relieved of the care and expense
stretch of from six to ten miles of road