St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1910-04-27

kuOWIGQS6 OF the TACT IHdl AOHlpclIS1 IL
taking chances every day it goes without
tended to provide.-[ Montpelier Journal.
State Roads Not a Dream.
The dream of trunk-line highways may
be pleasing sensation. It's first agita-
ton was about a decade ago when the
Vermont Good Roads association was in
existence, but. it will be many decades in
the dim and distant future before legis-
lature OF Vermont will vote to IS
sue bonds for such a luxury. 1t would
be great to have them, but the expense OF
maintenance would be greater and far
beyond our meaHs. necessiating large
increase in taxation or direct tax upon
the people. The present system is about
the best we can afford and it certainly is
accomplishing great Improvement OF
the high ways of the state. More extern
sive road building along the same plan
will be better for Vermont at the present
time instead of chasing after lofty ideals
that are beyond our reach. We must
grow little bit and quite bit before
we can expect to live in luxury.-[Ver-
GENES Vermonter.
Fear of increased expense is one of the
bugaboos that is pulling Vermont behind
the other New England states and no.
where is this bugaboo more dangerous
than in its relation to the trunk-line idea.
1t is folly to say that the present system
of highway building is the best this state
can afford. In fact, this state can afford
no system that does not provide perma-
nent roads built under the supervision of
the state and maintained by it. Far too
much money already has been wasted in
aimless effort. The sooner the people of
Vermont discover this mistake the better
- L e. I De- LII
Reformer.
The Reformer has so well answered
one phase of the IVermonter's, objections
that nothing further need be said on that
but its statement that the expense of
maintenance would be so large as to
necessitate a large increase of taxation
shows that the Vermonter spoke without
knowledge of recent advances in the sci
ence of road building.
A few years ago we heard great deal
about permanent" roads and people
had theory that roads could be built
that would take care ofthemselves with
out expense for years and years and per
haps for always. We now know that
there is no such thing as permanent"
road, except that all roads need perma-
nent care and attention. Massachusetts
learned to her sorrow that permanent"
roads are an irridescent dream. After
putting the state highway money into
new road building for years and paying
no attention to the roads already built,
Mass achusetts woke up one day and
found that her permanent" roads need
ed repairing to the tune of from 5000 to
$500 per mile.
Massachusetts, has now learned her
lesson at a great expense, but if she
had kept watch of her neighbors she
might have learned from New Jersey,
which leads all the states in road build
ing, that just as soon as good stretch
of road is built it must be watched and
taken care Of like any other valuable
piece of property. In this way it is pos
sible to take care of roads once properly
built, indefinitely at an expense of from
SIS to $50 per mile per year. Neglect of
this primary principle of road economy
for one season may mean an expense of
$500 per mile.
Knowing these facts, and no one in
Vermont knows them so well as State
Commissioner Gates, Vermont can adopt
the safe course and take care of her roads
as they are built. One years increase in
the savings bank tax or the present au-
tomobile tax, if left as it is now, will take
care of thousand miles of state roads if
the work Of maintenance is done as it
should be and begun the next day after
the road is completed.
One of the worst things the towns have
to contend with now in the matter of
road building is the tendency of road
commissioners, when they come into Of
fee, to neglect the good pieces of road
built by their predecessors because of the
anxiety of the new man in Office to make
a good showing of his own. In this way
good sections of road get bad and have
| to be rebuilt when little care from year
| to year would have kept them good for
| an inde6nite period. This is a feature of
road work that CommissionerGates has
been urging on town commissioners and
| selectmen up and down the state for the
| past two months.
The Vergennes contemporary fear as
| to the expense of maintenance is wholly
| exploded by what is now known in re-
| gard to road protection and should be
no bar to state system of highways. A
| few years ago it might have been a very
| real objection but it is not today.
As to bonding, the Banner. does not
believe it TO be necessary or desirable.
We have already argued that phase OF
| the question and do not need to go over
| it again. Vermont has income enough
now to build the roads if it will use its
income for that purpose. We believe in
high ideals and in realizing them as rap
idly as possible. A state system of trunk
line highways is within our reach, with
| out bonding and without debt Why
not take it'll Bennington Banner.
Stick a Pin i'm