The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-12-31
THINKS VERMONT
SHOULD BOND
FOR HIGHWAYS
James E. Kennedy, Vermont Delegate
to Recent American Highway Congress,
Also Thinks Roads Should
Be of Hard Surface.
Be Of Hard Surface.

James L. Kennedy of Essex Junction,
who was a member of the Vermont com
mission to the recent highway congress
in Chicago, with State Highway Commits
sioner S. b. Bates and State Engineer
II. NJ. Mcintosh, has reported to Govern.
or-elect Clement as follows:
That the delegates to the highway
congress from the western and the near.
western states should have been enthu.
siastic for highways of the most perma
nent construction was to have been ex-
pected. But, TO find the same marked
enthusiasm among the delegates from
the eastern states, was a surprise but
most gratifying
In this convention dirt roads had no
place whatsoever, Not one speaker re
ferred TO this kind of road construction.
Every subject was impregnated with an
atmosphere OF permanency. The best is
none too good seemed TO be the slogan Of
every speakers talk Not reference
was made to dirt roads, gravel roads or
tmnplkes. Therefore, | may well add:
The time has arrived beyond the perad
venture of a doubt when the states of
the union have fixed their attention on as
near permanent highway construction as
engineering skill can possibly devise. In
other words, there is strong desire to
build for the future and not just for the
present.
Government aid for state highways,
constructed under government superyi
sion, was favored by every speaker The
plan Of the states matching the allot-
ments of the government, met with fa-
yor, No sum seemed too large for the
government TO appropriate for this pur
pose No one objected 10 the amendment
to the highway bill now before Congress
to appropriate one hundred million dol
lars to be distributed among the states in
accordance with the appropriations of
each state The suggested plan is that
the national government match dollar for
dollar the sums voted by each respective
state. This plan finds a parallelin Yer
mont in that the state matches the APP
preparations made for highway construc-
ton by the towns, and is supposed to
have supervision over the manner in
which these moneys are expended.
Another plan that met with general
approval was that the national govern.
ment take over the trunk lines and CON
Meeting cross state roads in each of the
IS states, rebuild and maintain them, the
only thing deyolying upon the states be
ing the furnishing Of the right Of way, or
a clear title to proceed on the part OF the
national government without any com.
plications or unnecessary proceedings in
nd IN, tkng .s..,l- sc b,,f1
ing,
Whether this plan would be applicable
to Vermont am not quite clear. One in
formant tells me the highways Of the
state are not owned BY the state, while
another informant states that not only
are the highways Of the state the proper
'ty of the state, but that the streets Of
the villages and Of the cities are as we'll
the property OF the state If the latter
part of the statement is correct, then this
plan looks good for Vermont, but if the
state has no property rights in the high
ways, then ! can see all kinds of compl-
cations arising in case the state should
move to turn the highways, or portion
of them, over to the national government.
"One speaker brought out an approach
ing condition that will apply to Vermont
as forclhly as to other states. Before
quoting from his speech it should be stat
ed that Vermont has contributed to the
army, either to the fighting service or to
some branch Of the service, $4,000 men
These boys, or most Of them, will in time
be returned 10 the state, and from them
we must expect council and guidance.
The time has certainly arrived when the
Young man, especially the young man
who has served his country in the most
terrible war Of history, is going TO take
his just and true place in the manage.
mont Of the state. II viii be well that
we give him his place willingly, for he is
sure to take it even if the opposition is
strenuous. The day Of the grandfather
has passed and with him his set ideas
and notions that the young must wait
Here is the quotation from the speak |
er referred to-
1.-The soldiers who have been in France
and Belgium and Italy and have seen the
government roads OF those countries,
reaching to the smallest hamlets, will not
be satisfied with conditions in our agri- |
cultural sections until we. too, have
system Of roads fairly comparable to
those on the continent If we expect |
these boys to return TO the farms from
which they came or 20 TO the farms in
new sections, we must prepare the way
by a system OF roads that will connect |
them not only with their adjacent com
munities, but with the country as a /
whole
No Objection to Bond Issue
Not one person present ,at the con.
gress. SO far as ! observed, raised an OBJ |
lection to a bond issue for highway con
struction Illinois has just voted bond |
issue OF S60,000,000 which il is believed |
win but supplement whatever aid may |
come from the national government. i
mention Illinois as showing the tendency |
in progressive states. This bond issued |
in this western state means tax levy
Of $40 per capita to care for. it. After |
the experience of other states in building |
highways on the revenue from bond hota |
tions, and the still further desire on the |
part of other commemorative to adopt |