Norwich bulletin., 1914-12-05
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Norwich Town Board Walks.

Mir. Editor: The matter of board walks is beginning to arouse conversa- = ton here. The purpose of this letter is to direct such conversation to some useful end.
 A little history from the inside might be helpful, at least it can fur nish data so that the talk may be more intelligently directed. The board walks have for years been furnished through the agency of the Norwich Town Ru- ral association, the funds coming part ly through entertainments given by the association and partly through the generosity of a few citizens The orig inal walks have to a large extent be- come too diIapidated for further use, Recognizing this, the association two years ago started ill to build some new ones. In an effort to make small re- structed. These, justly perhaps, aroused much adverse criticism. Last year the association nearly fbankrapted itself building nearly a mile of new walk. This last walk has proved very satisfactory and aroused more approval than adverse criticism. If now the as- sociation had the funds to build a mile or two more of this style of walk the sidewalks could be well cared for dur ing the muddy months.
 It is more expensive than most citi- zens realize to keep these walks in re- pair 1lld LO IGDIdCS h1lu ICMs is high, and labor is high. It is also costly to lay the walks each autumn. It costs about S30 just to put the walks down. If men would work for nothing, and let their teams go for nothing, we could put the walks down for nothing. There was 9, time when the selectmen laid the walks for the association. but one year when a lot of badly worn walks were put down with resulting loose ends and weak spots the selectnen- had to listen to a great deal of faultfndtng. Never againi" say the selectmen.
 Faultinding? Yes, those busy fault finders, who took pains to complain to the selectmen about those walks laid the burden of $50 a year upon the Ru- -al association. Did they ever through their liberality offset that fau1thnding by gifts annually of $50 to the asso- citation? i
 The officers of the Rural association have to listen every year to carping criticism. "Why is there not walk on such street?" Why did you end the walk there?" "Why don't you put a sort of walk are you giving us?r There, that is just it-'+Giving us.''
 In Norwich Town there are possibly 1000 persons who use the sidewalks would donate z5 cents to the Rural association. it would be possible with the $250 to put our walks into fairly good shape. The fact seems to be that the vast majority of these people ex- pect to use walks which someone else has paid for.
 Last spring the writer in the desire to raise funds for use this fall in building new walks prepared a simple entertainment. He sent blocks of tick cts to the schools, asking that pupils might sell these tickets about the Vil- lage. One would think that such an effort. absolutely unselfsh at 1t was, would meet with a response which would use two or three hundred tick cts. What Is the truth? Parents had their children take those tickets back to the teacher. Children who were aI- lowed to make the effort sold none, or one, or sometimes five One or two earnest children sold ten or more. AL together the entertainment brought in about $12 through those 25.cent tick- cts.
 One naturally wonders how many of the worst faultf1nders in regard to the