The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-10-22
An Expert on Vermont Roads.

State Highway Commissioner
Charles w. Gates has made public a
report submitted by Mr.. Paul ID.
Sargent, assistant director of the Of
fee of public roads. Washington, ID.
c., who last August upon invitation
of Mr.. Gates, made an inspection OF
Vermont highways and the working
of the state aid law.
The conclusions reached by Mr..
Sargent as a result of this inspection,
are of decided interest and value to
Vermonters, and particularly to the
legislative and executive branches
of the state government and to the
officials connected with the highway
department of the state.
Mr.. Sargent expresses the opinion
that the highway law and the method
of administering the same are very
well suited to Vermont conditions
He refers to the fact that the pres
ent system results in keeping all
money expended on the work at
home, through the employment OF
local labor but points out the disad-
vantage which follows the incon-
venience to the travelling public on
account of work that is started early
in the season being held up during
having and at other times of scarce
labor and not completed until late
fall.
In the course of Mr. Sargents
trip through 10 towns and covering
over 500 miles of road he was inn
pressed by the abundance OF first
class gravel for road building, ex-
cept in some sections, and he en-
dorses the use of this material
throughout the state for surfacing
improved roads, and believes that II
would be good policy to transport 1t
a considerable distance to surface
roads in localities which are deficient
in good gravel.
Mr.. Sargents criticisms in connec-
ton with the highway work are that
some of the selected roads are too
narrow, that many of them have been
built with too sharp a crown, and
that a few old stone culyerts have
been left which may give some trou-
BILE in the future.
Referring to the matter OF increas-
ed appropriations to hasten the com
pletion of permanent highways Mr.
Sargent says:
Personally ! believe the tourist
business of the State could be increas
ed many fold IL the appropriations
for highway improvement were I'M
dertaken at once. In travelling over
the eastern half of the United States
4 fftnl
cry that can be found in practically
every section of Vermont"
This is merely one more testimoni-
al to the splendid natural attractions
of Vermont and the opportunity for
their profitable development by the
people of the state.
II is at the close of his report that
Mr.. Sargent touches upon the vital
point upon which hinges the whole
highway proposition as regards the
proper and economical maintenance
of all improved state roads. He says
81 believe 100 per cent better re-
suits would be obtained if some sys-
TEN could be devised whereby the
State commissioner could have en-
tire jurisdiction over the care of all
selected highways. This might be
accomplished by requiring all towns
to raise and turn over to the State
for maintenance purposes a certain
amount per mile for selected high.
way, and the State commissioner
held responsible for the condition OF
these highways with authority which
now vests in him TO use as much OF
the automobile registration funds as
necessary to supplement funds fur
nished by the towns This would
within reasonable limits, bring all
selected highways to a uniform state
of maintenance. at a uniform cost
per mile to the town"
There can be no successful refuta
ton Of the foregoing The propo
sitiOn that the state should hav,
complete authority over the con
struction and maintenance of stat,
highways is sound and unanswerabl,
and no further time should be los
in bringing il into full effect.-Enos
burg Standard.