The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-05-10
For North Main Street, With
a New Kind Of Filling
is STRONGLY. ENDORSED
Barre's Special Investigators Make Re-
port of Their Findings Resolution
to Pave from Depot Square
to Granite St. introduced.

The question Of whether Il would be
possible to keep within reasonable
bounds Of the estimated cost Of conduct
ing the affairs Of the city this year On
1926 tax rate was brought forcibly to
the mindssof the city fathers last even.
ing. and it caused Alderman Thurston
to state that the extra expenditures of
money that had been ordered already
by the citizens at the city meeting and
/ bv the council could not be met short OF
| a $40 tax rate without finding the
| city in the hole at the end of the year
| His statement was also corroborated bv
the city clerk.
| The presenting of resolution, in
structing the street committee to pave
/ North Main street from the end of the
present pavement at Depot square to
the northerly side of Granite street was
what started the discussion relative to
the financial situation, All this came
| up in a special meeting of the city
council called at the conclusion of the
aldermeu's regular meeting for the pur-
4 pose of listening to the report of the
| special committee which was sent to
| Massachusetts last week to get ideas
on permanent street building.
| The committee was most emphatic in
recommending that granite pavement
should be put in on North Main street
| in preference to any other kind of street.
The committees report was an interest
| ing account Of their trip and a detailed
/ .T Ill bn l. tnja f4etr hn.
/ inspected. The committee did not hesi-
tate to say that paving was the only
kind of streets being made now for
heavy traffic. In every city they visit
/ ed. the street commissioners did not at
tempt to recommend anything but paw
| ing blocks for streets where the traffic
was heavy.
/ At Boston the commissioner was asked
for his opinion as to the kind of street
that should be laid on North Main street
| in this city after the traffic conditions
/ had been explained to him by City En-
gineer Reed and the commissioner said
/ that If the conditions were as stated to
him. that paving was the only kind OF
street to be put in.
/ The committee found many places
! where macadam streets were played out
and block paving was being put in.
Street commissioners were unanimous in
their statements that paving was much
more economical than maeadam, and
| that macadam should be used only on
streets of light traffic. The kind of paw
/ ing which is meeting with the most
popularity is the stone block paving with
/ cement Joints instead of pitch joints.
| The local committee said that gram
| ite block paving with cement joints on
| North Main street they considered would
be the right thing, and that as the CO.
ment joint paving is not so noisy and
rough as the pitch joint, much objec.
| tion to paving from that point of view
would be done away with. After the
reading of the report, Alderman Brown
explained some things further and said
that he could hardly believe what he
saw when he was shown some macadam
streets that had gone to pieces in
years time from heavy traffic.
On motion Of Alderman Wiley, the
committees report was accepted and or
dered placed on the file.
A Paving Resolution.
The resolution relative to paving
North Main street from Depot square
to Granite street was next read and
Alderman Thurston said, in addition to
what has already been quoted of his re-
marks. that it would be necessary to put
the resolution to a second reading as q
special appropriation would have to be
made before the work could be done
for the reason that there was now only
$500 left in the permanent street ap-
A lat h, ncoA aud fhnt
over $4,000 would be needed to pave
that section OF the street. The en-
gineer also stated that as near as he
could estimate il, the cost would be
$4,000.
Alderman Thurston also said that he
had never made any objection to paw
ing being put in on this section OF North
Main street, but he had objected to 1t
below Granite street, and he thought
that something ought to be done right
away with that portion of the street
below Granite as it was the worst street
in the city now and has been so for
the last four years He thought that
the street between Granite and Depot
square was in better condition than that
north of Granite and could better wait.
He thought that the residents on the
street north of Granite would not be
satisfied to wait any longer.
On motion of Alderman Thurston the
resolution was passed TO a second read
ing.
The s-Hour Day Discussion.
Another resolution was read relative
to placing the employees Of the street
and water departments on an S-hour
work day basis thereby carrying out
the vote of the city meeting After
the reading of the resolution, Alderman
Mcleod said that he had been told that
the workmen did not want an S-hour
day. but did want the Saturday half
holiday and he thought as they were
the ones to be benefited and the half.
holiday was the most advantageous for
the city. il would be the right thing
to do. The mayor said that he did not
believe that the men would refuse to
take the s-hour day. but he knew well
enough that the Saturday half holiday,
was the best proposition for the city
and suggested that the water and street
committees interview the worhmen and
End out what would suit them best. 4
At the opening Of the discussion. Al
derman Rossi moved that the resolu-'
tion be- adopted. saying that II the citi-
-...s ...,,tnl on hour dar for theea