The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-04-04
State Commissioner Bates Will
Give Assistance
NO FIXED AMOUNT PROMISED
County Read Meeting in Progress
Here Today With Large Attend
ance-Dinner at Putnam

State Highway Commissioner Stod-
dard b. Bates of Derby arrived in town
Monday afternoon for the annual
meeting Of the Bennington county road
commissioners and selectmen which is
In progress today.
During the evening the commission
er met witt the members OF the com
mittees froE the Bennington Board of
Trade and the Bennington County I'M
prCvement association that have been
instrumental is raising the subscrip-
tion for the construction of perman-
ent highway over what is locally
known as the West End road.
The commissioner was informed
that the town of Bennington had ap-
propriated $2500 for this work and
that the committees had raised over
$4,000. Mr. Bates expressed his ap-
probation of the spirit shown by the
people OF Bennington and assured the
committeeman that his department
would add to the available funds what
ever could be consistently taken from
the state highway money. The COM
missioner was averse to making any
figures at this time but he gave the
representatives of the two organiza-
tions TO understand that the state
would be as liberal in this instance as
it had been on similar occasions.
AS was the case last year the road
commissioners and selectmen encoun-
Tered an unfavorable day from the
standpoint of weather for their annual
meeting but there was a good atten-
dance present, particularly from the
towns in the immediate vicinity when
the commissioner raped for order
shortly after 10 o'clock At the start
the commissioner gave the members
of his class to understand that he
should expect them to show improve
ment in their bookkeeping during the
year. The state he said was spending
lot OF money on the highways and
accurate accounting was necessary to
obtain the desired results He i'm
| pressed upon them the necessity of
giving special attention to the con-
struction OF foundations. The surface
problem he said, has not yet been es-
| tablished but no road poorly built at
the bottom and insufiiciently drained
would eventually be of any account for
| any kind of surface. He advised that
| culyerts be built little larger and
that the advice of the engineers which
| will be furnished at state expense be
sought in the construction of bridges
What he desired to impress upon the
officials was that all highway construc-
| tion was for the benefit Of the people
with whose money it was carried out
and that they should give the work
their best attention.
The following responded to the roll
call read by County Commissioner
Davis: j, w lyman of Arlington,
W. r. White, Frank Cromack and Fl h.
Alfred Harbour of Bennington, John
Matson. William Leary and j, H..
Nadeau OF Dorset, Ira Mattison of
| Glastonbury, d. II. Dyer, James Bourn,
and n. NJ Garfield of Manchester, A.
H. Jones Of Peru, A. J. Merchant and
| II. w Morgan Of Pownal, Ben Canedy.
George II. Bishop and c. H. Faulkner
of Readsboro. Charles Perkins. S. A.
Hay and Frank Dean of Rupert, Ross
Bentley OF Sandgate, Fred Briggs and
Andrew Davis OF Searsburg, b. r. HUI
lett and H. NJ. Loomis of SALISBURY
Robert Jepson, r. j. Sanford A. f,
Dunn and +. A. Leisure OF Stamford
Stannard Wilcox, W. S. Holt, William
Hayes and a. p. Bowen of Sunderland
William X. Cutler, Charles l. Wood
and II. ], Bugbee CT Woodford.
The meeting adjourned shortly be
fore noon for the annual dinner which
was held at the Putnam house. An ex
oellent menu was prepared by Land
lord Cornell and good delegation
from among the local business ant
professional men were present tC
meet the road builders. Presiden
James l.. Taylor of the Greater Yer
mont association was also a guest o
| tha naeouion