The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-10-16
Board of Trade Party Enthu-
siastic Over Two Days
Automobile Trip
ROAD
TO BE IMPROVED

way Commissioner-Gover Gates
Tells Why Vermont Cannot Duplicate
Massachusetts, Roads.
The good roads trip of the Brattleboro |
board of trade, which by common consent |
was the most profitable and enjoyable trip |
the board ever made, came to ap end |
last evening. The car containing Gov. |
Charles w Gates and State Highway Com |
missioner Stoddard Bates reached here |
| about $40 o'clock, in time for those two
officials to leave on the o'clock train
north. Two other cars reached home |
about O'Clock and the rest arrived be-
tween Z and o'clock Throughout the
| trip, which was begun Thursday morning, |
| the cars kept well together until after
leaving Springfield.
| 1t was about . o'clock yesterday morn
I ing when the party left Pittsfeld, after
| being photographed by H. NJ. Wood in
| front of the Maplewood hotel The run
over Jacobs Ladder was a delightful spin,
and the party reached Hotel Worthy in
| Springfield about 1870. They were met
/ by reception committee headed by
George s. Cook, president of the board Of
aldermen, in the absence of Mayor Stacy,
and were escorted to the special upstairs
dining room, where an excellent dinner
was served.
Following the dinner c. P. Chase, a for
mer president of the Springfield board Of
trade. made a few Introductory remarks
and presented Frederick j. Hillman, presi-
dent of the Western New England chamber
of commerce, who extended cordial well
come to the visitors in a brief and clean
Icut speech. President Horton d. Walker
also spoke briefly. referring to the object of
the trip and predicting that in few years
persons travelling the Brattleboro- -Benning-
ton highway would refer to the Mohawk
Trail as a memory. Mr.. Walker introduced
lGovernor Gates.
| The Governor referred to the enthusiasm
that exists over the subject of good roads,
as evidenced by the fact that the Brattle-
boro board of trade had gotten together
20 men to make this trip. He urged the
Springfield men to be charitable in their
views of Vermont with respect to high
ways, because Vermont has not the means
to build or maintain such roads as Massa-
.chusetts is building. He predicted, how
ever, a larger and better and more prosper
GUS Y Nermont in the near future The bust
ness men in the larger centers are deeply
interested in the good roads proposition
and are touching elbows and encouraging
cooperation and neighborliness.
The entire party arose to its feet when
the Governor was introduced, and here as
throughout the trip the utmost courtesy
was shown him. Everywhere he was spo-
ken of in the most complimentary terms
and he left the impression of being man
of sturdy character and Judgment, a man
among men, which all Vermonters know
! him to be. The board of trade counts it
self very fortunate that Governor Gates
was member of the party.
+ At the close of the Governors remarks
President Walker presented Frederick H
, Babbtt of Bellows Falls as president OF
: the Greater Vermont association. Presi
e dent Babbitt spoke of the association as d
L clearing house Of ideas, performing the
: function OF d state board of trade, bolster
= ing up the weaker civic and commercial
/ organizations. He said the association was
the pioneer in the idea of better acquain
d tance tours He expressed the utmost con
It tidence that the good things that have beer
c hoped for in Vermont were soon to b'
s realized
e Immediately after Mr.. Babbitt's remarks
It the trip home was begun.
d l. When asked for statement OF his vlew
# as result of the trip State Highway Com
a. missioner Bates said to representative o
er The Reformer that so far as the cross-stat
b lroad between Bennington and Brattlebor
1T was concerned most of it already was II
II good condition, although there was oppoI
If tunity for improvement I'VE have to us
ic all sections of the state alike said Nh
Bates, "and it is only by visiting the dii
"A ferent places that we can determine Jus
N what is needed and Just how far we ca
is go. A person riding over several miles G
=. good road thinks very little about 1t, bu
a when he strikes a short stretch OF poo
road he does good deal of thinking. Th
road across the south end of the state
fairly good most of the way and we sha
fix up the connecting links and take OF
that dangerous ledge over in Woodfort
What we want to do in Vermont Is
or eliminate the dangerous places as much {
possible and extend the system of patr
to look after the little things so that whe
a road begins to go to pieces it can be r
. ipaired before it gets bad enough to invoh
~ a lot of expense. The ordinary highwa!
oi in Massachusetts, that is, those not know
ne as state roads, don't begin to be as good
ed the ordinary Vermont highways
fa Very often persons ask why Vernon
ne does not build her state highways the W;
Iry Massachusetts does. Governor Gates a
JUS swered that question very completely
ter his remarks at the Park club in Pittsfe
ler Thursday night. Vermont, he said, b
practically the same number of miles
er, road that Massachusetts has, but it h
Sir only one-tenth the population and le
ith than one-ffteenth the property valuatio
ate Tt costs Massachusetts,, according to t
Massachusetts, highway departments