The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-11-23
All The News
 Of Bedding Town


 Bedding, Nov. 23-When Mrs Pat rick Collins died few years ago, the property in Pleasant Valley compris- ing her estate received a probate in- ventory valuation of $500. On Mon- day the same property was disposed of at an auction held on application or the heirs, Johanna and Daniel Col lins. and Mrs. Edward Rowland and brought $2,500 which was considerably above the price expected and affords another indication of how real estate values in the town have increased within a comparatively recent period. The purchaser was Edward Andrews of Bethel, representing the daughter. Johanna. The principal other bidders were w. c. Sanford, supposedly rep resenting Fred Driggs. or N. F. Hogg' son, the Rowland brothers and stranger who described himself as a Mr. Thorpe of Bridgeport. The late Mrs. Collins left her husband the life use of the property with subsequent distribution to their children in equal shares The house is old and of mod crate size, although in good repair, and there are about fifty acres of tn- different quality land. The son will be allowed to remain on the place. He and Mrs. Rowland, the other sis ter, are trying to break the will cf
 
 tire estate of between $3,000 and $4,00O to the daughter, Johanna.
 The committee chosen by Commo- dore Luttgen in accordance with a vote of the recent good roads meet ing to present a plan for better meth ods in the maintenance and improve ment of the towns highways is as follows: David l.. Miller, $. c. shaw, Sanford H. Osborn. Lloyd Blackman, l.. O. Peck, Dr. w. c. Deming, Per cival Nash, Michael Connery, John H. Jennings, Seth Sanford, D. s. Sam ford, A. C.. Barnett, E. A. Pinkney and Winthrop Perry. The chairman retary c. H. Plump. Letters have been sent out to citizens asking sug- gestions which may be helpful to the committee in the discharge of their duties. Of course their functions are purely advisory and the present board of selectmen would not feel warrant ed in putting into execution any changes of system which may be recommended without the sanction of a town meeting. yOne is to be held soon to vote for a share of the good roads appropriation made by the re- cent legislature and the other mat ter might then receive attention also provided the committee is ready to re- port which is doubtful. The Red Book issued by the State of New York in relation to its road work is expected to furnish some useful hints. It is the supposition that one of the measures recommended will be the employment of a man to act as road superintendent under the general au- thority of the selectmen. Such a SUI perintendent would not necessarily be a man of high technical training and therefore unduly expensive. What is needed is one possessing a practical 1rno of hiQhwav rcnq1r and tTu- provement work accompanied by good judgment and a proper interest in the right performance of his duties. An innovation of this sort was presented by the writer at a town meeting sev- eral years ago and again at the meet ing of the succeeding year, but both times the resolution suffered defeat. Public sentiment was not then ripe for the change, but has since moved in that direction and the recent agf- tation has given it a decided impetus. First Selectman Sanford is fully in sympathy with the present movement. He admits the defects of the present system and says that under 1t the de- sired permanent betterment in the condition of our highways cannot be expected. As he is now serving his fourteenth term as selectman his opin- ion on the subject should be pretty nearly conclusive. The first essential in the way of reform he believes to be a single head executive bureau. With a competent man given free hand, he says that in few years a won- derful transformation for the better could be effected in the condition of the roads.
 A recent issue of a New York pa- per had story anent an adventure of the Rev. MT. Veit, a former pastor of the Center Methodist church. while duck hunting in Long Island waters. MT. Veit was sure he had plugged g. certain duck at which he fired, but the shot. seemed to take no effect, and so he kept on firing until he realized the fact that the target was only a decoy instead of d real live duck.
 The drilling of an artesian well on .he lot at the Center purchased by