The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-07-06
COM'R GATES TOLD
TOWN WHAT It
OUGHT TO DO
Will Put in State Money TO
Equal Money Raised Here
SUCCESSFUL ROAD MEETING
Enthusiastic Gathering at the Court
House. Addresses by Mr.. Gates,
Mr.. Colgate and Mr.. Winslow

A g0Ou ROADS meeting was Helu last
evening at the court house and was
the scene of a considerable display
of enthusiasm The meeting, which
was held under the auspices of the
Bennington Board of Trade and
which was the outgrowth of recent
session of the board of directors of
that body, was presided over by DR..
w. L. Putnam, who introduced d. II.
Winslow. the government engineer.
Mr.. Winslow defined road as the
only permanent thing in the county.
He stated that there are FIVE essen
tials in road-making: drainage, foun-
dation, grades, wearing surface and
alignment. He explained the signifi.
canoe and relative Importance of
these five points. The speaker eX-
planned that during the past ten years
S407, 900 had been spent in Benning
ton county and that today the pres
ent condition of the roads does not
show a return of three cents on the
dollar in Bennington town. Mr..
Winslow pointed out defects in the
present system and dilated on some
of them. The Vermont system
makes possible the duplication of ma
chinery in adjacent towns, that is,
two nearby towns each buy the same
mechanical equipment when one set
of machinery is adequate for the
work TO be done in the two towns.
Frequently one town pays a much
higher price for the same set OF ma
chinery than another He pointed
out the fast that there should be a
more systematic purchasing method;
that Bennington is at the present
time purchasing its gravel at the rate
of $4,000 an acre because il does not
own it's own gravel pit; that expense
may be saved through bases OF sup
piles being established every five
miles where work is being done. Mr.
Winslow commended the system of
competitive bids and urged its local
adoption. He closed with a plea for
support and harmony and comment
ed on the lack of spirit of co-opera-
ton in the New England states and
especially in Vermont.
Vermont State Highway Commits
sioner Charles w. Gates spoke on
the Importance OF good roads to Ben
nington. He explained the Vermont
system of state aid and stated that
the system had nothing mandatory
about it, that the system is one that
rewards a town for good work on
roads with state aid. Last year Ben
ningtoh county had six towns which
did not receive state aid because of
the fact that the road work was so
poor Certain main highways in the
state are picked as selected roads;
the commissioners give especial at
tention to these roads and a separate
account OF money spent on them
kept; II the work is up to a set stan
dard, the state duplicates the money
expended. Mr. Gates offered to du.
plicate any sum up to $4,000 that
should be raised in Bennington for
road work. He concluded with an
explanation of the strength of an
aroused public opinion.
James G. Colgate of Old Benning-
ton commented on the antiquated
methods being used in the town of
Bennington, especially in the custom
OF turning sods into the middle of
the roads. He pointed out the gen
eral lack of method and cooperation.
He said that there are live towns and
dead towns and that Bennington as
regards good roads is a dying town.
Mr. Colgate's speech was caustic and
calculated to cause considerable
thought on the subject of road i'm.
provement. He said that inefficiency
in public servant is worse than dis.
honesty and that the voters of Ben
nington are being robbed in that they
are not receiving a fair return for
their money. Mr.. Colgate stated that
last year through the failure of the
proper county officials to include a
piece Of road improved by him in the
report OF the highway commissioner.
in consequence Of which he had not
received the aid from the state that
was his due. This money II received
Mr.. Colgate stated that he should
have put right into further road build
ing.
Commissioner Gates announced
that the state would compensate MIR
Colgate for the failure of the official
In reply to a question by Mr.. Wins.
low. Mr.. Gates stated that his office
was willing to duplicate the sum of
SSOO II II should be expended bv res
ldents adjacent to the North BennIng
ton road and would also put in as
much money as the town would raise
up to $4,000 to further the construc.
ton of main roads.