The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-09-14
Chief Factor In Tourist Harvest

Durg, N. \. 10 these the pOnJlH I'M
parted the apostolic benediction.
Chief Factor In Tourist Harvest
The tourist harvest in Vermont Is
not ended nor Is the summer past, no
matter what the almanac man may
say. September Ia certain to give US
ia period of warm weather, and far
into October tourists will visit the
Green Mountain State to enjoy our
beautiful autumn tint panoramas In
spite of the fact that the Go-called
New England lines" continue to de-
vote all Of their advertising In the
New York papers to the White Noun
tain resorts, thus keeping up trouble
for themselves.
Vermont has an asset in her good
gravel roads and the possibility of
still better roads, that is sure to win
out in the contest between the states
for summer visitors and autumn tour
lists, provided always that we furnish
other attractions and accommodations
to match our highways and our mag
nificent scenery. 1t would probably
be surprising II we could know how
large a proportion Of the visitors to
Vermont come by automobile and II
the New England lines" continue to
discriminate against the Green noun
talns in spite of the fact that they
have lines running into Vermont, we
must depend more and more upon our
own advertising and the automobile.
In any event We must continue to
Improve our roads, but 1t may encour-
age US to dwell upon some Of the
good things visitors are saying for
Vermonts gravel roads as compared
with highways In other states. Mas
sachusetts has spent thousands upon
j thousands of dollars In the construc-
ton OF macadam roads, but legisla
tors from that state as we'll as tour
lists using the Bay State roads have
4 Informed US that 1t will be absolute
ly necessary to spend other thousands
in the immediate repair OF these new
and what we're supposed to be per
mansnt highway"
4 Swiftly speeding autos have sucked
4 out the finely crushed stone which
serves as the binder on the surface,
leaving the top Of the roads covered
Il with small stone, which work disas-
\ ter to pneumatic rubber tires.
4 The same condition of affairs exists
4 lin New York and In New Hampshire
az we'll as In other states, that have
4 invested largely In crushed stone
H roads OIL and various preparations
are being used In an endeavor to
solve the problem how to prevent au.
4 tomobiles from damaging crushed
4 stone roadway, but as yet no remedy
1 commercially practicable has been die
/ covered.
III There are few stretches OF high
llway in Vermont on which crushed
4 stone must be used, but as rule gra-
Hlvel is available; and State Highway
\ Commissioner c. w. Gates has been
devoting every possible attention to
I the periecting OF methods for the
y construction of roads with available
material.
iii Scores OF visitors have praised our
4 country highways as compared with
4 those in New Hampshire and Massa-
chusetts In particular and II State
Commissioner Gates is able TO carry
I out his plans, the next two years Will
Il witness a still more marked superior
ity in our roads over those OF other
1states which lack our good road mat
erlal
III Il Ia gratifying to note that State
4 Commissioner Gates is looking for
Il ward TO the early completion OF trunk
Iiroutes for automobiles using the pro
1 ceeds OF the automobile tax for this
4 purpose. In the not distant future
Vermont will be realizing between
$50. 900 and $4,000 annually from this
source alone. the tax for the present
4 year having reached about s5S.60O;
Z and Commissioner Gates hopes to de
velop among other routes a lake shore
drive from Malletts Bay north which
n will make the drive from Burlington
TO the islands in Lake Champlain one
of the most attractive to be found II
the country.
=, The Reliability Run will enable
z large number OF people to note The
4 Improvements made In our Highways
a lin different directions, and Commits
q sioner Gates has shown by his atten
4 ton to the condition OF the roads
Z lalong the different routes that HI
8 thoroughly appreciates the signif
! canoe OF this demonstration as bear
i ing upon the subject OF good roads a
chief feature In Vermont's attrac
lions for tourists.
The suggestion has been made tina
II the repairing OF Vermont's highway
could be accomplished earlier In tn
year than at present some inconven
fence to tourists could be avoided
since machines are bothered to max
progress through earth that has beef
freshly spread upon our highways. TIL
ia not fundamental difficulty, how
ever, and Ave years from now Yer
mont will unquestlonably boast OF a
fine a system OF roads for tourists a
can be found anywhere outside OF tn
city street with It's concrete; and no
few tourists say they prefer Vef
mont's gravel roads to any other ma
terial they have yet seen.
We thus have another evidence o
Vermont's disadvantages as touris
resort. Let us match our unsurpass
ed scenery and our good gravel road
with hotel accommodations through
out the state. and New Hampshir
- viii be left in the race, way aoros
i the Observation-Disclosures Ere
Press.