St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1914-01-28
PRESS COMMENT
How New Hampshire Wins.

ley are loeal spots for summer homes
and summer colonies. Intelligent
and well directed effort would soon
result in the coming of the summer
resident, and though he staid but for
the summer time it were far better
than not to have him at all, for the
property he might develop remains
for the year.
The White river valley, along with
the rest of Vermont, has it's good
roads but they are used in the sum-
mer time by the tourist from the
middle west as a cut across lots to
get into New Hampshire, for he has
been told of its summer hotels and
resorts, but is wholly unaware of the
vacation home opportunities of the
White river valley, nor will they
know until they are told. They were
told and that repeatedly about New
Hampshire and it's resorts. An in
stance of the skill and persistency of
New Hampshire publicity was seen at
the recent national good roads con-
ference in a middle west city. Each
state in the union sent delegation.
That from the alert granite state car
ried some $4,000 worth of printed
matter, all descriptive of the state as
a summer home. The $4,000 to pay
/
| by popular subscription. At this
same national conference there was
not two cents worth of printed mat
ter pertaining to Vermont.
Community action is what counts
and there is no better field for this
than the White river valley.-The
Landmark.
Auto Fire Trucks Good Work.
At the meeting of the St. Johns
bury Commercial club few evenings
ago, when Franklin H. Wentworth of
Boston spoke on The Economic Signi-
ficance of Fire Waste, President
Joseph Fairbanks of the club had
something to say on the efficient work
which has been done in st. Johnsbury
with an auto fire truck. The total
fire loss in st. Johnsbury from 1905
to 1912 had been $145, 676, an aver
age per year of $1S,2O9. Since the
fire truck had been installed in Aug
ust, 1912, the total fire loss had been |
$1,000, and the loss for the year
1913 was only $9T7. He then read |
figures from other towns showing |
only two of the size of st. Johns |
bury had a lower average from the |
years 1905 to 1912 and none had |
approached ST. Johnsbury's figures |
Slice the IRE CTuch was luSLdlI0Qs
Figures like this prove nothing, as |
fire losses vary from year to year in !
every community regardless of pro-
lection, but Mr.. Fairbanks, knowing |
of the conditions in his home town,
evidently believed that the showing |
there was due in large part to the |
work of the fire truck, as he stated
that he knew personally that it saved
property owners and fire insurance
companies thousands of dollars dur
ing the recent cold snap. st. Johns
bury has authorized, also, the pur-
chase of an auto truck for its hook
and ladder company. If st. Johns
bury, with it's steep hills, heavy
SHOWS and low temperatures, can
use these machines to advantage they
are not barred by natural conditions
from any other town in Vermont
Reformer.
An 'Open Mind Proposition.
Speaking of the termination of the
telephone hearing at Montpelier, the
Journal of that city says: THAT the
state has not deemed it necessary to
introduce witnesses, expert or other
wise, seems to furnish signal and ]
conclusive proof that it is fully salts
fed to rest it's case on the evidence :
as it has been disclosed by the tele-
phone company themselves" Where
upon the st. Johnsbury Caledonian s
1rops in with the remark that sit s
S just as conclusive proof that the t
telephone companies have made a |
'ul1 satisfactory presentation of the c
acts connected with the case"
The Caledonian does not go on to t
Jay where it finds that conclusive y
proof but, in response to the Jour- I
lals' reference to the great expense +
connected with the trial, the ST.
rohnsbury contemporary courteously
ID contends that the Ignorance
md incompetence of the commission
md the counsel for the state is re-
ponsible for no small proportion of i
he expense to which the state has h
,een subjected because of this hear |,
ng.
The Caledonian says ''that the pub s
lie will await the verdict with an open Il
nind.'' This is just what The Fri
une has pleaded for in what it has v
aid from time to time regarding Y
he hearing; and it has preferred to
.eep its mind open pending the final n
eport of the commission, instead of L
aking stock in the unofficial ac-
cunts of the situation which have J
from time TO Time. u
Everybody wants a fair deal in fl
his matter-nobody wants the OPP +
osite; and The Tribune has con- r,
dence enough in the gentlemen who a
make up the public service COM C
Mission to believe that they will en- N
eavor fully to meet the require G
lents of justice alike to people and 2
telephone companies in their final N
ecision.-Vermont Tribune. fl
Kicker Was Right. F
Albert A. Kicker, a successful bust
ess man in New Hampshire, in 81
peaking to the Commercial club of
is boyhood home, st. Johnsbury,
the fact that the main q
roVince of such an organization d
ras in improving local conditions
ather than batting outside concerns d
D come there. This is a point which
, often overlooked BV developing u