The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-03-22
FOR BENNINGTON COUNTY
DEVELOPMENT AND
B{TTERMENT
This Department Edited by Secretary
Willard w. Bartlett of the County
improvement Association
Patrol the Roads.

TO repair road is to fix 1t after i
| is bad.
To maintain road is to keep il
from getting bad.
1t is cheaper to maintain our roads
| than to repair them.
The best and cheapest way to main
| tain our principal highways Is by the
patrol system and the State pays big
share OF the bills.
For the following article by State
Highway Commissioner, Stoddard b
Bates, we are indebted to "The Yer
monter" published at White River
Junction.
To the average person who has not
thought much in practical way about
the subject of good roads, the question
is naturally limited to the field oi
mathematics-we have so many miles
of roads, can build so many miles q
year, hence it will take so many years
to complete the work. To those who
have made study of the subject, the
question OF construction assumes a
secondary position and that of main
tenance the primary. When Vermont
inaugurated its road policy, little at
tention was paid to anything but con-
struction. Funds were appropriated
for construction only, and the main
tanning of the roads did not seem to be
question for immediate considera-
tion. Vermont was by no means alone
in taking this position. Later, how
ever, she was among the first to see
the immediate Importance of the ques-
tion of methods OF maintenance.
AS the years have gone by, we have
learned new things, and conditions
have greatly changed We have i'm
proved some 1000 miles of road, and
some of them are rather old at this
time. Some of them have needed lit
tie, II any, attention. Some have
needed more. We have learned this
and il is good lesson for any road
man to learn at the outset-that the
time to begin to maintain road is as
soon as the improvement or construc-
tion OF it is completed. This is more
seriously true at this time and under
present conditions than ever before.
When Vermont began to build roads,
an automobile was luxury. to say the
least. aud by no means a common
loads was not seen or thought of. 1t
is now apparent to ALL Generally
Speaking. road begins process of
deterioration the moment the improve
,.ment is ended, Little defects appear
that growinto3 bad places. A little
sag develops into mudhole, and lit
tie rut formsa channel for running
water that soon washes the road bed.
I'VE are now speaking OF the type of
road we have In Vermont. A gravel
read develops rut in the wheel track
that will shortly be Stunned by the
driver, who then proceeds to make
new one, and soon the road surface is
badly rutted. The old statement that
a stitch in time saves nine was never
more true than when applied to road
maintenance. Some very destructiv
washouts have resulted from inatten-
ton at the proper time TO little water
running in a wheel track, or failure to
clean out culvert in the fall or
spring.
Now in the road law of Vermont.
even as 1t stands today, the road com
missioners of the 246 towns are the
ones who carry the responsibility of
the proper maintenance of the roads,
and the state has only an indirect in
fuence. The road commissioner who
is natural road man will be of
greatest benefit to his town. But, at
the best, the commissioner has many
miles of road requiring his attention
of which the State roads constitute
only about one quarter, and he cannot
always give the immediate attention
to the defects in the main highways
that the public is demanding.
AS result of the above situation,
the Legislature of 1912 passed a law
making it possible for the town and
State to unite in the work of mainten-
ance, whenever the two agree upon
the details of the union, this measure
tends to relieve the town of some of
its burden, and to give to the State
more than a passing influence. In
every town there are selected high
ways, or State roads, upon which
State money can be expended. The
patrol system provides that the State
and the town may select certain
number of miles of these State roads
to be maintained for the season by the
State. This maintenance by the State
covers only ordinary maintenance,
and not those special items as resur-
facing. repairing or replacing of cul.
verts, etc. The State secures the pa.
trolman, establishes the price to be
paid him, and his help, and gives infor-
nation and instructions as to methods
to be used by him.
In the agreement the funds are sup
piled by both town and State. The
town apportions such a sum of money
as seems to be equitable to both par
ties, taking into consideration all the
circumstances involved, and an order
is drawn in favor of the State for the
amount The latter then pays all of
the bills, and supplies all the funds
needed above the amount supplied by
tho town,
Weekly reports are sent by the pa.
trolman to the County Supervisor for
his approval, after which they are for
warded to the State Commissioner