Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-01-25
|ERMONT ROADS
ARE CRITICIZED
resent System of Caring for
Them Is Condemned by
Speakers.
EIGHTY AT BANQUET.
Man Has a Dill, Based ON
Minnesota system, for Consi0-
Grafton Of Legislature.

ex-senator MAX Il. l'OWelI btlricteu
bout 20 people from different parts Of the
tate and 1t proved to he one of TIN live
est gatherings of the kind ever held in
his vicinity. The present road system
Fas handled without gloves by critics
9th favorable and unfavorable, aph the
sSult ought to be material imp JVe-
hent in various directions.
In opening the post-prandial exercises
ir. Powell announced there We're ljou
lilies of road in Vermont of which 200
niles were State roads. He said that UNI
er the state tax of five per cent. there
as available Slg 200, the amount Of the
tate appropriation was 500. 00o, the towns
Contributed Sll5,Gn and the automobile
ax aggregated S276,00, making an annual
otal of $1,000 There was excess work
ggregating $4,000. so that with the
mount spent by the towns there were
yer one million dollars spent annually
n the roads of Vermont This was Il
efficient sum to assure us q large agcle-
ate of permanent work. bat we We're
lot getting the worth of our money. He
anne out squarely in favor Of bonding
he. State for the construction of per-
nanent road and for such special work
S the construction of the roads through
mugglers' Notch. Sunderland Hollow and
bther improvements which could not bc
The first speaker introduced by Mr.
Powell was J. Il. Wilbur of Manchester.
who has given a large degree of personal
attention and time in the promotion of
rood roads in Bennington county and who
las taken an active interest in the prob
EN- throughout Vermont as n whole Mr.
Wilbur announced that he had been look
ne into the State highway work ana
methods as discoverablc at Montpelier,
md he was astounded at some
# the facts and conditions dis
overed. He said that since 400; there had
been spent in all over 81. S27. zoe by The
state on good roads, but he was doubt
III if the people could go out and find
evidences Of it. He said that the road
commissioner and the county Supervisors
n 1915 cost the State So. 900. THAT would
have conducted n thorough and efficient
highway department. He announced ,hat
ne had drafted bill, based upon the
minnesota system. for consideration at
Montpelier. He contemplates three COM
nissioners, who would select a state on
sinecr and thus secure efficient service.
10 would provide that bridges should be
CONSTRUCTED only after ADVERTISING for
bids. His experience was that some of
he bridges in Vermont cost twice the
amount they should have cast. Tho
partment He also showed tina, gravel
had cost from s113 to sl.3O a cubic ward
in some instances, which was an absurd
price to pay for this material He
thought that provision should he made
Tor the condemnation of gravel beds
where they could not be secured reason
ably otherwise.
Mr.. Wilbur showed that the people Of
Pennington county had awaited themselves
| of the services of "A road cnpincar uo
went to Washington and induced them
TO send to Bennington county an cngi-
nccr and after it was found that the
services Of an engineer could be used to
good advantage an Arrangement was
made with the State highway department
whereby his salary OF SIS was paid two
thirds by the State and onc-third by the
county.
Mr.. Wilbur said that s525. 900 was paid
out in Il year by the State under the
direction OF one man solely and $3.50, 900
by the towns under the direction of local
commissioners accountable to nobody
He thought this statement accounted for
the unsatisfactory condition of our high
ways.
j. w. Dana, Chttendcn county agent
disclaimed any knowledge oT technical
road building. but be WAS familiar with
in relation to roads. He called attention
10 some of the towns in Chittenden coun-
| ty whose residents had to mass ,hrcn,s,
other towns in order to get TO RurIipy
ton ard in some instances tbe roads
through the latter towns would NOT no
those they would naturally j,nnrovo for
Themselves. As natural res,ilt ,bo ,osi-
dents Of those towns had nonr poino
Especially when they were ON cross.
roads
| Prof. ]. w. Votey Of tho pnivorsir. ool.
'lrgc of enaineerine rofnr,rd to ,he ,iwo
when change was made from the old svs.
tom Of road labor 10 In. money svstrm
lie showed dat when this change was
|madc they !abored under great b,rdi-
cap. there being no matcria, or nnvtbinp
else To start with. an entirely new no.
ginning being necessary. H., said vc fan.
nj permanent roads but there is no ouch
thing. lie said we should not issun bonds
for roads covering a nerind or On years
when we know the roads vii, he sopo
ten years from now, One of the minor
tant features of rond b,iJd;,,p il tho
selection Of good road material Tn order
to meet this situation Ia. had bis road
engineering department make a survey
of available material in Chiuendcn coun-
" and he thought this should he done
throughout the State Orleans county
had unusually GOOD roads becauso IL had
wealth Of good material. In rcpIv ia
Mr. Powell's condemnation of Chittenden
county roads as about the wors, in tbe
state Professor Votey showed that traf
fc in this region was unusually boavv
Professor Notey showed that propor s,,