The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1911-03-24

| He said that he wanted every road commits
sioner present to understand that the law
| regarding state aid was not mandatory. II
any town does not care TO accept state and
or does not want any advice or suggestion
| from the county road commissioner 1t need
not have il. However, the commissioner
was inclined to believe that there were
not many towns in the state that mlsnnder-
stand the spirit of the law. The first
year that the state assisted IN building
permanent roads IT. towns voted appro.
priations as required by law. The second
year the number ayailing themselves OF
this aid was $50 and the legislature saw
that it would be necessary to increase the
appropriation and did so, making the
amount available S75, 600 The third year
1872 towns voted to accept this assistance
and this year 213 towns have appropriated
approximately 100000, thus making a
draft OF like amount on the state appro-
priation OF $150,000, That the number OF
towns voting for state aid this year war
rants the continuance of this policy OF per
manent road building is the firm belief OF
! the state commissioner. In 1910 Wlndham
county towns appropriated approximately
s., 700 and received a like amount IRON
J the state This year this county has voted
appropriations approximatlng ST, 100.
| Commissioner Gates acknowledged that
at the outset of his administration several
years ago he favored the building OF stone
roads when permanent highways were to
be constructed, but he said that he had eX-
perienced change Of opinion after making
a study of conditions. Now he is more in
favor OF gravel He told his audience that
he advocated four things, which he outlined
briefly as cardinal points in his policy OF
road construction; namely, roads OF uni
form width 81 or 90 feet wide or "a feet
from ditch to ditch; Strengthening of roads;
elimination of grades and drainage. lie sand
that his department urged the reduction
of grades even at heavy first expense in
many instances. Road commissioners
should use their brains, Mr.. Gates said. As
an illustration of what the highway prob
lem in Vermont is as compared with other
states he contrasted this state with that OF
Massachusetts and said that each state
has approximately $4,000 miles of high
wavs to maintain. Vermont has only 80
people to the square mile while Massachu-
setts has nearly 10 times that number and
the property valuation OF that state ls
from six to 10 times greater. He coun-
selled the town road commissioners of YER
mont to go slow, yet build upon honor. Ms
an example of what it costs to construct
and maintain expensive stone roads he cited
a case in New York state where a piece of
road costing $4,000 a mile required 5000
mile each year for four years for upkeep
and 1900 mile to resurface it the fourth
year. Mr. Gates said he wanted it under
stood that he was not in favor of discrim.
mating against the so-called "back roads"
in towns; he urged the expenditure of
money and time upon radical roads and he
did not countenance the neglecting of these
radal highways for trunk lines.
Lewis Lynde of Dummerston injected a
bit of excitement by induging in a charac-
teristically frank speech in which he criti-
cized County Road Commissioner d. I.
Perry and wanted to know why it was nee
essary to have both county and a state
commissioner He referred to Mr.. Perry's
work upon certain parts of the Putney
road which did not meet his approval. Com
missioner Gates assured Mr.. Lynde that
the state highway department expected
that all of the roads in the state would re-
ceive Square deal" and that it was his
intention to see that all roads and towns
did receive such ;,
To show that the towns of Windham
county were in accord with the policy OF
the state regarding permanent roads Mr..
Gates gave the amount voted in each town
for last year and this year as follows
- 1Q1O 1911