The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1919-12-11

through travel What "a worse, money
u spent FOR sidewalks and other i'm.
provemenfs the assessments for which
residents on these side streets refuse
10 pay and the taxpayers Of the city
a. Whole A. Sril ~ the street com
tnsssioners arc out just 10 much money
A trunk iine from Bennington to
Rutland. Middlcbury, Vergennes, Bur
ilngton and so Oh 10 ST., Adams or to
the island ferry. would call for the
provision Of good roads In Burlington
on the streets constituting link in
that trunk line. The same statement
would apply TO trunk lines coming in
70 Burlington from other directions,
as well as 10 trunk lines passing
through other cities.
The first step TO remedy this whole
situation is to provide for State con
trol Of trunk lines of roadway, on
which the proceeds OF the State high
way tax as we'll as automobile taxes
which alone aggregate now ,nearly half
million a year, shall be expended in
stead Of often scattering State funds
as now rnder control Of the local COM
miss.onrrs on roads not constituting
links in a through line. When we can
secure the adoption of uniform and
adequate policy Of road construction
and maintenance for the main lines of
travel throughout the State, then we
shall be in q position TO tackle the
other problems more effectually and
on a sound business basis.
In the first place, we can deal sat-
isfactoriiy with he matter Of financ-
ing more permanent trunk highway
lines. In the second place. we can
meet the simple engineering require
ments IF track traffic, that has come to
stay. In the third place, we can insist
thal cities shall not disgrace the State
BY maintaining disgraceful links in
our main lines of travel across our
State. N the fourth place, we can
take full advantage of the offer of aid
from the United States government to
match money spent by the State itself
on roads . In the fifth place, we shall
thus be able TO use the road machinery
at the disposal of the State to the best
possible advantage and combine eff
cheney with greatest possible degree
of economy.
The first obstacle you will encounter
if you present this proposition to the
Legislature will be the opposition of
the shortsighted portion of the local
road commissioners who regard their
position as political sinecure and
private snap rather than public trust
Ii is no secret that some of the town
road commissioners pay more atten
ton to their political machines than
they do to real road machines.
The more enlightened and modern
road commissioners are beginning to
realize fully they are not meeting
public needs or popular demands. They
see that unless they join promptly and
heartily in tho readjustment of their !
methods and policies to modern traffic |
and present neeessitics, they are like |
" to find themselves in the political
ditch and new road commissioners
pushed into place by the more pro
grcssive young Vermonters who want
Vermont TO keep pace with other /
States as well as our own needs in !
road construction and maintenance.
The time has passed when road COM
missioncrs can blind the people to the /
fact that they have substituted politi- I.
cal road machines for real road ma
chimes and genuine road improvement.
We are also aware that consider I
able thought must be devoted to the
problem Of an equitable distribution
Of the expense of maintaining trunk |
lines through both towns and cities. !
Where vitrifed brick or other endur- |
ing material is used, manifestly the
city would bear the larger share of |