The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-09-03
COUNTY ROADS.
Many Have Not Materially Changed in
Several Years.


The chief results of the holiday OF
roadmaking recently promoted by the
governor OF Missouri are likely to be in
direct. After having toiled and sweated
in the sun those who took part will
doubtless have stronger interest in
supporting good roads legislation,
whether or not they are as keen to
take part in the actual labor another
year. But, while the Missouri roads
may have received large temporary re-
pairs and improvements, such a holiday,
can hardly accomplish much in the way
OF permanent road making. And it is
permanent road making of which the
country stands in need. Without de-
preeiating the Missouri performance it
may be recalled that the Romans, the
greatest roadmakers the world has
known, did not do their work in spas
modic festivals: the roads that they
built to last for centuries were built
slowly and laboriously.
The automobile has rendered the
question OF roads in America additional
" acute for two reasons. In the first
place the motor driven vehicle enhances
the value of a smooth, hard surfaced
roadway, and in the second place the
grip of swiftly revolving tires eats into
and destroys surfaces that were former
ly regarded as durable if not permanent.
That simple macadam which once
seemed the last word for the fine sub
urban roadway, is anything but durable
under particularly rapid and heavy au-
4op,nh;ia fra Nfo hac now hacouna q 90 ~
as familiar as il is regrettable. Ex
periments in the hope of finding some
thing better cover wide variety of ma
terials, including brick and numerous
patent applications upon the top of the
macadam foundation.
While the state roads, as main ar
teries of travel, are being extended and
there are the old fashioned
country roads which in many cases
have not materially changed in genera
tions. That such roads remain and of
fer comparatively little temptation to
the motorist is counted a blessing by
those of us who have not succumbed to
the speed mania and still find it restful
to Jog along behind old Dobbin, particu-
larly if there is reasonable hope of not
being covered in clouds of swirling dust.
But the automobile is coming more
largely into practical use in farming
in New England than is
realized. The prosperous
farmer of the middle west who flies
about in his car has been a familiar fig
ure for several years, and there seems
no question that thousands of machines
are owned by farmers in that section.
70 he
equally prosperous, yet, for example, in
a small Massachusetts hill town not
far from Springfield some rs machines
are owned by the natives, aside from
those that may be brought in by sum-
mer visitors. A small but serviceable
may now be bought second
hand for about the price of good
horse; in the town in question one man
will have paid for his machine twice
over by the end n the summer in the
net profits above operating expenses
gained from doing local livery business !
to and from the railroad station in the |
valley.
The coming of the trollies, which may
be hindered by the changes in the New |
Haven road, although the main hope of |
he development of some of the western |
hill towns, is not the |
,nly hope. BY the improvement of their
main roads their accessibility can be in
creased and their isolation decreased |
whether trollies come or not. Obviously |
hey cannot expend large sums in any
me year. But if the policy were gen.
rally followed of each year construct
ng, with the aid of the state under the
mall towns act a short section of |
oadway of permanent type in rels-
ion to the amount of traffic the prog
,ress, though slow would be sure. !
What has proved to be anything but
on some stretches OF main