Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-01-02


3, 10. II and r. The commissioners were
s. b. Bates, State highway commissioner;
II. M. Mcintosh, state engineer, and
James Il. Kennedy of Essex Junction.
The congress was well represented by
nearly every State in the Union. and
all the addresses and there were many,
were for hard surfaced roads, with no
opposition to United states government
aid or State bonding. Commissioner Ken
nedy has made a report to Governor Elect
Clement which will be of interest to all
the citizens of the State The report
is here given:
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 per-
manent construction was to have been
expected. But to find the same marked
enthusiasm among the delegates from
the eastern States was a surprise most
gratifying.
I'm 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 a reference
was made to dirt roads gravel roads or
turnpikes. Therefore, l may well add:
The time has arrived beyond the perad-
venture of doubt when the States of
the Union have fixed their attention
on as near permanent highway construc-
ton as engineering skill can possibly
devise. In other words, there is a strong
desire to build for the future and not
just for the present
GOVERNMENT AID FAVORED
Government aid for State highways
constructed under government supervi-
| sion. was favored by every speaker. The
| plan or the States matching the allot-
! ments of the government met with favor
| NO sum seemed too large for the govern.
ment to appropriate for this purpose
No one objected to the amendment tc
| the highway bill now before Congress
| to appropriate 500, goo 600 to be distributed
| among the States in accordance with the
| appropriations of each State. The sug.
| gested plan Is that the national govern.
| ment match dollar for dollar the sums
| voted by such respective State This
| plan finds n parallel in Vermont, In thai
| the State matches the appropriation
| made for highway construction by the
| towns and is supposed to have supervi
| sion over the manner in which these
| monies are expended.
| Another plan that met with genera
| approval was that the national govern
| ment take over the trunk lines and con
| Meeting cross State roads, in each Of tn,
as States rebuild and maintain them
| the only thing devolving upon the State.
being the furnishing of the right of way
| or clear title TO proceed on the par
| of the national government without an,
| complications or unnecessary proceeding
| in order to perform the work of roaC
| building.
| whether this plan would be applicab BIZ
| to Vermont l am not quite clear Ont
| informant tells me the highways of tn
| State are not owned by the State, whil
| another informant states that not onl,
| are the highways of the State the prop
| erty of the State, but that the street.
| of the villages and of the cities are a
| well the property of the State. If thu
| latter part of the statement is correct
then this plan looks good for Vermont
but if the State has no property right
in the highways. then l can see al
kinds of complications arising in case TIL
State should move to turn the highways
or a portion of them, over to the ma
| tional government,
zone speaker brought out an approach
Ing condition that will apply to Vernon
as forcibly as to other States. Befor
quoting from his speech it should b
stated that Vermont has contributed t
the army, either to the fighting servic
or to some branch of the service, 1890
men. These boys, or most of them, wi
in time be returned to the State, an
from them we must expect council an
guidance. The time has certainly al
| rived when the young man who ha
served his country in the most terribl
war in history, is going to take his jus
, and true place in the management of tn
State. 1t will be well that we give hir
his place willingly, for he is sure to tax
it even If the opposition is strenuous
The day of the grandfather has passe
and with him his set ideas and notion
that the young must wait.
Here is the quotation from the speak
er referred to.
The soldiers who have been in Franc
; and Belgium and Italy and have see
the government roads of those countrie
reaching to the smallest hamlets, wi
not be satisfied with conditions in OF
: agricultural sections until we, too hay
a system of roads fairly comparable
those on the continent. If we expet
these boys to return to the farms frol
which they came or go to the farms
new sections, we must prepare the wa
by system of roads that will conne'
them not only with their adjacent con
q munities, but with the country as
: whole