The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-08-02
CEMENT PAVEMENT
RESOLUTION ADVANCED
After City Council Had Heard a Protest
from Donald Smith, Who Declared
That the Citizens Voted to
Bond for Granite Road
waU

, vides for laying cement road with tn,
provisions customarily Incorporated il
preparations for permanent street pro
jects. While the city fathers swelteret
in the stale atmosphere of the counci
chamber, arguments for and against ce
ment waxed warm and before the reso
luton was wedged through, personalitie:
had figured in the debate.
That the sentiment outside the council
is not all for cement paving was indicat.
ed when Donald Smith of the Z. L. Smith
Co, and John G. Mcleod, superintendent
OF the Wells-Lamson company, dropped
into the chamber, the former to express
his views. Mr.. Smith talked forcibly of
what the citizens expected when they
voted to bond for bridge and perma-
nent highway ON South Main street and
his intimation that the street committee
had not exerted itself fully to secure
bids on granite paving caused consider
able OF stir in the cement camp. Mr.
Smith, who said he was one of the sign
ers OF petition for the special city
meeting in 1915, made it plain that many
of the voters were led to believe that
the street would be paved with granite if
they authorized a bond issue. Rather
heated colloquies between Mayor Glysson
and Alderman Ross did not serve to
make the humidity less noticeable and
after the two tests of strength, both
sides OF the question were ready to quit
for the evening.
The first speaker of the evening was
Atty. Wishart, who was asked to draft
resolution and TO give an opinion on
the legality of the cement measure. Mr..
Wishart said that the council, by reso-
luton adopted in June, 1916, voted to
pave the street with granite blocks. In
the following month the citizens in
special city meeting voted to issue bonds
for S4T 500 to finance the permanent
street work at the south end and to
build bridge over Jail branch Al
though he admitted that the voters un
doubtedly contemplated granite paving,
he said that granite paving was not spe-
Gifted when the vote to bond was taken.
There was nothing in the records, he
said, to show that the council was bound |
to use granite blocks, although it was
obviously the intent of the citizens. |
Questioned by Alderman Rossi, the may. |
or conceded that granite blocks were
originally considered. but reiterated his |
stand that cement should be used. now |
that contractors had failed to bid on
granite.
The mayor accused his colleague from
the first ward of taking advantage of
the situation to block efforts to put
South Main street in condition, Alder
man Rossi replying in turn that the
mayor was taking advantage of techni-
cality by going against the intent of the
people. The clash was not prolonged,
for Mr.. Smith was asking the privilege
to speak, and it was accorded him.
Forcefully, Mr.. Smith declared that
nothing was said about cement when the
citizens were asked to bond in 1916 and
that on the contrary the object for which
the special city meeting was called was I
to pave with granite blocks. He had :
signed the petition for the meeting and
was well aware of what the money was
TO be spent for if the bond issue were
ioated. The citizens meeting couldn't
nave been organized, he declared, if the
5oters had known that the council event
lally would switch to cement as against a
yranite. Mr.. Smith also intimated that q
he street committee had not been active Y
nough in seeking bids for granite, an al Q
usion to which sharp exceptions were a
AIKEN by Aldermen Milne and Alexan- I
Ter, who mentioned number of jour n
lals in which they had advertised for n
lids on block paving. Mr.. Smith had Q
more to say. a
'If you can lay cement roadway by n
he day." he questioned, evidently refer a
ing to the work now under way on r
1orth Main street, why can't you lay Y
ranite blocks under the same circum
tances ?" The question remained un-
Continuing, Mr.. Smith said
e had Travelled over South Main street =,
or 80 years and that recently the high. =
-ay was in better condition than at any
me in many years. As a last resort,
e advocated patching up the road after m
sch rain until granite paving could be NJ
id. Mention of the greatly increased OF
,st of granite paving was made by 5
hartman Milne of the street committee, ns
no declared that the material alone ed
ould cost more than the entire cement II
-oiect. To which Mr. Smith countered ol
ith question as to how the street OIL
mmittee knew the cost of granite paw Bl
z iRview of the fact that il had failed In
secure bids for that kind of street con- II
ruction. In closing, Mr.. Smith stated pl,
at it was the duty of the city council
do as the citizens directed. in
At the close of his remarks. Alderman ria
exander said that if Mr.. Smith could 10
arantee that granite paving would be lea
tten under way within few weeks, he me
,uld take another stand and vote for liv
ante blocks as against cement. The Ms
,vor and members Of the street COM Ca
ttee said they preferred granite to ce- "a
mt il granite were possible. Reference am
s also made TO the increased appor- ma
nment Of the traction company should
mite be designated, an spportionment
ich. in either event. must be borne Tor
ime. at least, by the city. II was also
led that extra heavy rails would have =
be purchased for 3 granite roadway. VS.
ereas the present rails, il was said Oh'