Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1916-11-08
WHAT THE PAPERS SAY.

WHAT THE PAPERS SAY.
Let Barre, Answer.
If Congressman Dale's personal ac-
quaintances are confined to his home
Vicinity how did he become a mem
Der of Congress ?-Vermont Advance.
Can't Stop Pleasure Long Enough.
If every autoist would stop and do
nate the price of a gallon of gasoline
next Sunday to the first church he
passes, it would ease his conscience
and do the churches good, besides
bringing in a tidy little sum.-North-
field News.
Build a Road Through Smuggler's
Notch.
It safe to say that every person
romantic place, believes the state
who has ever taken a trip through this
ought to build a frst-class road
through the Notch.
Its value il opening up q new sec
ton of scenic wonders to the tourists,
that are coming into Vermont in ever
increasing numbers, is UnquestiOned,
but this, important as it is, IS not the
only reason why the road ought to be
built
Tt would open UP q much shorter
! route from Montpelier and central
| Vermont, through to ST. Adams, the
| Islands and Canada. Some Is miles
| can be saved, as the proposed road
runs in nearly straight line from
| Stowe to Jacksonville, whence the
! tourist has choice Of several routes
to ST. AIba1s and points in Franklin
county.
4 large amount Of travel between
| Waterbury and St. Adams now goes
via Stowe and the LamOille valley, be
cause of the good roads and fine see
merry.
This proposed road would shorten
! the distance ad open up the most Won
derful scenic attractions in all New
| England.
It would be the favorite route
through central Vermont, north and
south and across the state also.
Build the road.-Morrisville Mes
senger.
Approval of Vermont Kind of Road
Building.
The Vermont kind of road building
| receives each season added supp TT
and approval. For two or three years,
at least, the wisdom of the highway
department of this state adhering to
the plan Of making good gravel and
dirt roads and spreading all the mon
eyavailable over the greatest possible
territory, has been increasingly mani
fest.
nTo4 ,1-4c, 81 L. L.
find the roads of Vermont much su-
perior on the average to the macad-
am or stone roads of other states
where the latter have been pounded to
| pieces as they have been in such a
large percentage of cases. The num-
Der of Vermonters, therefore who ad-
vOcate one or two main trunk lines of
macadam in Vermont are constantly
on the decrease.
The great majority of people nova
days agree that the best, as we'll as
the cheapest, roads are good dirt and
gravel, keptwell drain ed and smoothed.
Ithas been shown that it costs thou
sand dollars mile year to main
tain q Estate road" of crushed stone,
and this upkeep expense is prohibitive
for any state, no matter how wealthy
it may be.
Here comes the Pittsfeld, Mass,
Eagle attestirg further to the unsat-
isfactory conditions of macadam roads
that are not properly maintained
and the heavy fast-running automo-
oiles Of today will disintegrate the
best-constructed stone roadbed in one
season. The Eagle says:
''1t would not be at allsurprising to
IL
that ooe-half of the state roads in
S-assa chusetts are now SO badly worn
that they ought to be resurfaced
Inc problem in this state isn't so
much new state roads as it is the
maintenance CT the ones We have We
| are always glad to see new road con
structlon, but it is better business to
keep up what we have, than to make
too many extensions; certainly this is
OF the time to figure on any entirely
new enterprises Of any moment.
'jn the meantime the state could
probably devote its efforts TO imDro-
NJ many Important country roads in
the 0id-tin2e TaY Of furnishing good
drainage and gravel surface with per
haps more or less balla3ting in wet
places. Really a smooth dirt road
even though narrow, is the most sat
isfactory for the average naotorist, as
we have passed our scorching days tc
q great extent.
Of the millions we spend on stan
, dard state road construction were cut
in half and one part used to improve
our country roads, more people would
be benefited and more people satisfied
Of course the motorists like the COM
plete state road, but the development
Of motoring is toward the less fire.
quented highways where travelling is
safer and the scenes are ew."-Rut-
land News.