The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-08-20
The MeddLer
If The coat fits you. pat It on"

The Meddler S paragraph of last
week relative to the advisability of
brick paving for Main street has
brought him long letter, together
with mass of literature, from paw
ing brick manufacturing concern in
Ohio. This is not only an interesting
indication of the alertness of up-to-date
manufacturing concerns; aside from
that, 1T gives an idea of how easy
It IS for any community to get informa-
ton on proposition in which there is
likelihood that it will spend some
money. After going into details as to
the advantages of vitrifed brick as a |
general service pavement the letter goes
on to say that if the people of Brat
tleboro desire to have brick pavements
of modern construction we would be
very glad to take the matter up with
them through our engineering depart
ment, and give them all the advice and
assistance they may need without cost
| to them" The concern from which
| The Meddler received this letter, and
| doubtless number of others in the
| same line of business, maintain special
| departments whose business it is to-
| furnish information and estimates.
| From any one of them it would be pos
| sible for the selectmen to obtain fig
ures showing just what it would cost
to put brick pavement on Main
i street, as well as information about the
wearing qualities, noise, replacement
cost, etc, of this particular form of
street surface. In order that the voters
may be in a position to act intelligent
ly on the proposition at the next town
meeting the Meddler suggests again
that the work of gathering and making
, public such information begin immedi-
ately.
Some weeks ago The Meddler had
something to say about the need of bet
a ter roads between Brattleboro and the
= Massachusetts line to keep the auto
0 mobile tourists from swinging into New
Hampshire ON their way to the noun
tain resort regions. 1t is a fact that
| much of the traffic which formerly
came through this town now swings
| eastward at Bern-.Edston, following tn,
"'blue band' highway through North
: field and Hinsdale to Keene. One rea
G son for this is that the signboards a
4 Bernardston tend to turn it in that iii
IS reetion; another is that better road
: are found on that route. From Bernards
;. ton directly northward to the Vernon
q line there is new road which /
pIas good as could be wished, but tn
E. road from that point through Guilfor
to Brattleboro is less satisfactory. a
far as surface is concerned this stretc
is in better shape this year than eve
T. before, due no doubt to the fact tina
u it is patrolled by a man in the emplo
of the state highway department bu
: it is not wide enough to allow auto
mobiles to pass each other comfort
d, ably and contains many sharp curve
in 1t is too much to expect that Vernon
can build such expensive roads as thos
ry which Massachusetts puts in, but
L this particular stretch could be widene
from the state line to Brattleboro theI
At is little doubt that the right kind {
publicity would soon get northwar
rs bound automobiles in the habit {
vn keeping straight ahead at Bernardsto
eS instead of bearing to the right and 70
" lowing longer route.
10 Greenfield has a sensible method
G. handling automobile traffic at the jun
in tion of Main and Federal streets. L
ay means of an iron post, lighted at nigh
:, and suitably lettered, car drivers a
- prevented from hugging the left-har
pr, turn when coming out of FEEDER
i'll street, being obliged to swing Of
IN around the post. Such q plan ought
IN work to advantage at the corner
Main and Elliot streets in this tow
If ears coming out Elliot street we
ar compelled to cross the trolley trat
L. before turning northward into Ma
the danger of collision at this poi
no would be greatly lessened.
Now that the contractors are actual