The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-10-05
Be |NGTON c COUNTY
VERMONT IMPROVEMENT
ASSOCIATION NEWS
Roads


Kennedy of Searsburg. Mr. Ken
nedys accounts were a model of neat
ness and accuracy and as this point
is considered in awarding the Wilbur
watch Mr.. Kennedy has set the pace
on this item.
Keene. ~ H., is taking care of her
roads this year by the patrol sys-
tenn" One man with a single cart
is permanently employed in charge
of six miles of road. AS result
there has hardly been a mud hole or
a rut on any road where this system
has been in vogue. A shovel full of
gravel applied at the right time will
do more good than a whole load as
the road gets out of shape and full of
holes.
The following clipping from
Maine paper tells us how that state
is getting back of the good roads
movement.
Maine is spending more than 500,
600 for permanent road work this
year. The money has come from i've
sources and has been expended from
three funds
The first fund is made up of the
regular State aid money. This
amounted to approximately $l95 600
and was put out in small sums all
over the state. To meet it. cities and
towns raised $4,000, making the
total S375,000.
The second fund was that which
came over from the unexpected bal
ances OF this and previous years. This
amounted to $4,000 of which s54,-
| 500 was the unexpected balance from
| this year. Under the law this fund
is available for the work on the main
! trunk line of highway which begins
at Kittery and extends eastward At
| the present time S164,S00 of it is be-
ing spent on II miles of that sec
| ton.
The third fund is that created by
| the income from the registration of
| automobiles and licensing of drives,
to which has been added very con
siderable sums by the communities
The State has appropriated about
| 500 of this money and the towns
$4,000, making a total joint fund of
about Sl73,000. This money has been
spent on fifty different projects.
The Hopeful Outlook.
Never has the outlook been more
| hopeful for agriculture in New Eng
land than it is today, says close oh
| server of Eastern Agriculture. There
is an ever Increasing demand for
farm products, there are opportuni-
ties developing for social life and
for home Improvement that surpass
anything that have ever been offered
to rural districts. There has been
! developed a network of Rural Free
Delivery routes and telephones, and
here and there there are neighborhood
meetings that are breaking up the iso-
lation of farm life and creating a
more delightful atmosphere in which
TO live"
The Bennington County Farmers
are especially fortunate, the Benning-
ton County Vermont Improvement
Association is making it possible for
them 70 become more prosperous and
happy. They have brought one OF
the finest road engineers that the U
s. Government has to Bennington
County. They are securing one OF
the best agricultural experts. The
work of cooperation will make II
possible for the farmer TO produce. tC
buy and sell, in a fashion that will
bring to him an economic return un
dreamed of in the past The Agri
cultural College and Experiment Sta
ton are planning to do extension
work, both State and National Gov
eminent are looking toward ever
increasing appropriations for the pro
motion of agricultural life. The Ben
nington County Vermont Improve
ment Association is going to do its
best to bring to the farmers in this
County a full share of these advan
tages.
The countrywide work is in a posi-
ton to bring in all the outside assis
lance available and encourage coun
ty-wide cooperation. Il now remains
for every farmer to come halfway
and cooperate as best he can How
ever poor in purse the man may be
II he has grit ambition and real pur
pose, he cannot fail to succeed In
New England" says the Boston
Chamber of Commerce. This Is pre-
eminently true of the man living IN
Bennington County. Let every far
mer send mis- dollar to the Benning
ton County Vermont improvement
Association, become a member anC
help the work at every turn.
A Mistaken Policy.
In one rural community in Benninl
ton County the Secretary was told
that whenever place was painted
and fixed up the assessor was sure tS
increase the valuation and send tn,
taxes up. One of the things that tn,
Bennington County Vermont Improve
ment Association and every publ,
spirited citizen in the County stand.
for is the Identification and improv,
ment of the material surroundings
The assessors ought to encourage ans
not discourage the painting and III,
improving of the building and fences
not only upon the farms but also I,
the villages. Surely thev ought no
to tax such public spirited citizens
for being public spirited Would 4
not be better for each neighborhoot
and the County as a whole to hav,
the assessor increase the tax Upor
places that are permitted to ur
down, that are not painted, that ar,
ugly spots?