The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-02-05
EVERY TOWN TOOK A PART
County Supervisor Currier Presented
Formal Report, Showing That 3,929.6
Rods Were Built at Total Cost Of
$47,624.s5 During Year 1911.

| road work done IN washington equity
in the year 1911 was larger than in any
former year, and the activity was not
confined to any town or group of towns
but was participated in by every town
in the county, which is considered re
markable for Vermont counties.
Supervisor Currier reports that Wash
ington county has 1909 miles OF public
| highways, and of this total 332 miles
/ have been selected as state roads, includ-
| ing all the trunk line roads and nearly
! all most used roads There are three
sources from which state road money
may come: (ll the towns share of the
per cent. state highway tax, or about
! 100000; (2) the towns apportionment
of the Sl50,000 state appropriation,
/ which may be anywhere from 800 to
$3.50; (3l the towns regular apportion-
ment of the automobile fund, which in
| 1911 was SS to $40 per mile.
| The upkeep of the state road for 1911
cost more than ever before, or on an
average of $33.04 per mile This extra
cost is accounted for by the supervisor
/ in three ways: az because the roads
were subjected to a much heavier auto
mobile traffic; ~ because as n
whole the roads were better cared
for than formerly; t3l because the com
missioners reported more nearly all the
work that they did on state roads.
On this latter point, Supervisor Cur
rier says
81 am well aware that small amount
of expense may have been reported on
state roads, which should have been
charged to the town roads; also, that
some of the work reported cost more
than it would have if it had been prop
erly handled. | am yet convinced that
the unreported work is in excess Of these
items and that the amount reported
sl0,97l47, Is approximately what IL
cost for up-keep of our 332 miles of
state road, exclusive of bridges"
Going into a description of the new
work and its cost, the official announces:
"The 50 pieces OF new state road built
this year have had vide range IN
both materials used and variety of con
struction. Starting with a cheap sand
clay road and running up through all
grades of bank and river gravel, V
shaped stone, telford gravel screened
gravel laid with steam roller, granite
macadam, to a granite block pavement
laid on a cement concrete foundation.
Ranging in prices from Sl0c per square
yard to $274 per square yard. Several
experimental pieces of macadam and
gravel laid with bitumnous binder
have been built.
at will be seen that the cost per mile
has been more the last two years than
formerly, /. e.. $2404 in 1909, $3464. 40
in 1910 and S3S7S.27 in 1911, if we in
clude the Barre paving, or S3274.25 if
we leave the paving out.
This increase in price is due partly
to better class of work, but more to
the fact that with increased state aid
work has been undertaken. Work which
called for large amount of rock ex-
cavation, as in Barre town, Warren and
Waterbury. The moving Of a large
amount of earth to improve grades, in
widening narrow places and in cutting
away small hills to give better view
"A large amount of this class of work
was done this year in Barre town,
Calais, Marshfield, Waterbury near
Bolton line, in Moretown near Moody
& Almon's power plant, in Warren on
the Mad River road, in Woodbury., and
in Roxbury near West Roxbury. In the
towns of Woodbury., Worcester and Mid
dlesex at the under pass near Mr.. Levi
Wider's the roads have been much inn
proved by relocation. AT each of the
places the improvement in public safety
alone more than justified the additional
cost, and future maintenance will be
less in the new location"
In urging that the towns select their
best men for highway commissioners,
Supervisor Currier says:
"Year after year, / am more and more
impressed with the fact that our public
highways will not have that prompt, |
continuous and careful attention which |
a true economy demands, and that our
expenditure of town and state money
will not be made in a manner to attain |
the best results, until the commissioner, |
the man in direct charge of the work. |
makes road building and road mainten-
ance his first business. 1t is not enough |
that he should be man 6f business ex-
perienee and ability, willing now and |
then to spend few days away from /
his regular business to look after road |
work. He must make road work his |
first business, not a secondary consider |
alton. If he cannot feel enthusiasm in |
his work, if he does not have pride in
his work, if he does not try to do every |
piece of work in the very best manner
possible with the means at his com
mand, then he better drop road work.
He will be failure as road commits |
sioner. A man no town can afford to
keep in office He will forget or ignore
the advice and requirements of your
state commissioner and county super
visor. He will fail to carry out the
plans of your engineer and viii give
you poor job at the price of good
one.
81 am glad to be able to say Wash
ington county has some commissioners
who are enthusiastic in their work, men
who are doing better work each year,
men who do good work every time,
men who secure a dollars worth of work
for dollar expended, men with whom
it is pleasure to work. Such men
should be kept in Office. The town which