The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1914-08-10
Light CONTRACT
CALLED MENACE
TO VILLAGE
II Gives Company Too Many
Powers
TO DiSFIGURE OUR STREETS
Correspondent Calls Attention Of Peo-
pie to Some Things That
Should Be Fixed
70 DIsflGURE OUR STREETS
Editor of the Banner

Where was there a prettier town
than Bennington, with its Main
street curving invitingly under grace
fulelms and naples toward the blue
walls of the mountains?
But this was in the old days. Now
we are confronted by the heavy UNI
compromising line OF electric light
and telephone poles. which rob the
trees. not only of their natural
growth, but destroy all their grace.
presenting a mechanical effect on
both sides of street defaced.
In your issue of August 9TH you
call the attention of residents of Ben.
nington TO the new lighting contract
which the village is about to enter IN
TO with the Twin State Gas & Elee-
trio Co. which viii bind the village
for the next five years; and you
recommend careful study and invite
critisich of the contract which is TO
be finally acted upon by the village
trustees on the 18th of this month
Item | of the proposed contract Is
of most primious import, in that II
gives I'M unrestralned opportunity TO
this company to further disligure the
public streets. II is as follows:
THE village agrees to and does
hereby giant TO the company the
right to erect and maintain all the
necessary poles, gongs. wires. fix.
lures, structures and appliances IN
the public streets alleys and byways,
necessary for the execution and com.
plete fullilment of this contract"
IL would seem that no one but a
Public Service Corporation could
have the audacity to ask for such un-
limited license to disfgure public
and private property. and not even
then, except of some rural communi.
ty whom public officials were sup
posed not TO have awakened TO
sense of their responsibilities in
guarding the public interests.
Bennington will show itself sadly
behind the times, as well as behind
the communities IL il permits any
lighting company 10 write such an
nnguarded provision into its lighting
contract.
The cost OF the Introduction OF the
modern appliances which we enjoy, of
the telephone, trolley and electric
lights. was the Disagreement of
many a beautiful New England street
and village. This is no longer neces-
sary, as has been demonstrated by
many of the nearby famous and thirty
ing Massachusetts towns TO the south
of us. where il has been found en-.
tirely practicable TO dispense with
| unsightly poles. and To require the
placing of the wires underground.
The companies. who provide these
great public utilities have been found
only too ready in other communities
To respond To public sentiment,
when created In this regard. And
where they fail of each response the
local authorities having control of
the matter should be appealed TO.
An effort was made several years
ago by the ladies' of the Village I'm
| provement society OF Bennington
and others. TO prevent the desiruc-
ton of the trees. but II did not work
with the proper support from the vii
lage trustees and much of the dam.
age which they aimed to prevent was
accordingly done by the companies
as the condition of our pole-ridden
street evidenced. They build marble
post offices and costly High schools
on asphalt streets decorated with
barbaric poles and heaven-obscuring
wires?
Does Il devolve entirely upon the
women of Bennington 10 take up this
matter Of restoring the old towns
beauty, or cannot a progressive move
ment organized by our active and ef-
fcient Board Of Trade permit Ben
nington to share in the universal de-
mand for the city and town beautiful,
which is a characteristic OF the en-
lightened age in which we live?
II is a mistake 10 suppose that
prosperous Public Service Corpora
lions which are operated with such
Il -i01A pioht W ihti SA'thh"iNcio Ht"-
orally throughout the land are easily
frightened off by proper exactions ON
the part Of the communities which
they seek to serve
The privilege Of lighting town Of
the size OF Bennington is a valuable
one. and Is not to be measured solely
by the value Of the company's con
tract for lighting the public streets,