Norwich bulletin., 1913-10-27
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Roads in Canterbury.

MT. Editor: Since the recent town meeting held at Canterbury Plains. much interest has been taken in the heated discussion that arose about roads and l. as a taxpayer of this town, am going to state a few facts regarding the condition in which the roads were left by our retired select men, and I feel sure that many tax payers of this same town will be will ing to corroborate my statement Dur ing the past two years there has been two suits for damage due to accidents on the roads brought against the town of Canterbury and it is believed they are still pending in court. Are we tax payers going to stand back and see our money go into the lawyers pockets Instead of laying it on our roads |? Who can say that the roads in the western part of the town are in any Tt possible condition? Years ago when our taxes were much less than at the present time our roads could be scraped and repaired once a year, but now when our taxes are nearly doubled our roads cannot be escraped at all. Who can account for such works?
 For instance, take the road loading from the Westminster church north to the Brooklyn line, can any fair minded man say that 1t is any more than the way nature left it Church members have been known to stay at home rath- CT than risk their lives on such a road
 What, if the. reception committee Gncluding one of our seIectmen at that time) appointed to receive Governor Baldwin and his staff at the Brooklyn fair had made previous arrangements to meet the party at Canterbury sta tfon and taken them for a drive to Spencer Lyons corner thence over Westminster hill and then taken either road direct to Brooklyn fair grounds instead of taking them through the beautiful drives of Pomfret and Thompson, has anyone an idea he would have spoken of thrifty little Connecticut" ?" No! Rather think he would have introduced Road Conlmis- sioner Bennett to the selectmen of Canterbury.
 It must be remembered by the old est taxpayers of the town that owing to an accident received on the above mentioned road in the north part of the town, 9, Mrs. James Wetherall died without regainGing consciousness after being thrown from a wagon in which she was riding and the town through the influence of certain parties set tied the matter for three hundred dol lars. Is it not better to avoid acci- dents and loss of life, by repairing the roads and keeping them in a fair condition, rather than withstand the disgrace that now faces the town of Canterbury. Through g, petition sign ed by taxpayers of a neighboring town road commissioners have been called out and the taxpayers of Canterbury think such thing may happen in this town.
 A resident of Canterbury one day recently overheard a conversation be- tween two members of the Automo- bile association in8 department store in Norwich, regarding the road from Windham to Brooklyn. They seemed to base special mention on the one mile stretch from the Hampton to the Brooklyn line (which belongs to Can terbury of course) considering it what they thought the worst in Eastern Connecticut. This is on the supposed trunk line and the question is ''Win dition ?''
 Now it is hoped that the selectmen appointed for the coming year will benefit the roads, see that ditches are opened and the water prevented from running down the center of the roads. which is causing many washout Loose stones lie in the road unheeded travelled over year after year by tax payers who very willingly pay their taxes and still have to suffer the con sequences.
 At the last town meeting it will be remembered that the no road tav vote was very close, and it is feared that if the roads are not repaired the com ing year many more taxpayers will rise in revolt against the town and the mo road tax vote" will be car ried by a large majority
 A TAXPAYER OF CANTERBURY.