Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-01-02
NO OBJECTION TO BOND ISSUE

Not one person present at the Con-
gress, so far as I observed. raised an
objection to d bond issue for highway
construction. Illinois has just voted a
bond issue of $60.O0O,O00 which it Is
believed will but supplement whatever
| aid may come from the national gov
eminent l mention Illinois as show
ing the tendency in progressive states.
| This bond issue in this western state
means tax levy of ten dollars per
capita to care for it. After the eX
perence of other States in building
| highways on the revenue from bond
| Rotations, and the still further desire
on the part of other commemorative to
adopt this policy, why should Vermont
continue to hesitate In adopting like
policy?
THE only arguments / have ever
heard advanced in opposition to bond
issue for highway purposes are,
first that we should pay as we go,
and. second, that Vermont has no bond
| ed Indebtedness and should not have.
This means nothing and the arguments
are childish. l cannot conceive Of any
| Vermonter. and it matters not from
what section of the State he may have
lgone, who. having listened to the big
men present at the Chicago highway
congress-listened to their expressed
| desire TO Dullu LOT the IutuTe-COulu re-
turn home with the feeling that we
should continue our present patchwork
policy and pay as we go
I'VE listened to speeches on all phases
of road building, regarding material
and the proper machinery for handling
the material. But we listened to no
Ispeech or no argument, favoring dirt
roads.
Speaking about machinery, IL might
be well here to remark, that Vermont
expanding better than a million dol
, lars annually at the present time on
our highways owns no road building
machinery--not even hoe Even IL
the next Legislature is adverse to the
adoption of new policy, and con-
} tinues to depend upon the towns for
J whatever machinery Is used in the
building of our highways it would not
} be right. 1t would not be playing fair
= with the towns
Throughout the entire congress, both
while in session and when discussing
road building outside the meetings. the
t universal sentiment was for efficiency
: In construction and continuance Of
2 that same efficiency in maintenance.
While this theme is in mind l cannot
: help but recall what at the time seem
ed to be good road building in our
, State was, soon as completed, APP
parently forgotten both by State and
town officials and was not recalled to
mind until that particular piece of road
was completely worn out and absolute
, reconstruction necessary in order to
make it passable. This, certainly Is
; not efficiency. But If it is, then eff
cheney means something different to
me than 1t does to the individuals
building our roads.
l111a
pended on the highways of Vermont
e should not show up as a dollar well
e expended for either material or labor,
e and this applies to whatever policy of
road building may he adopted.
II am informed that approximately
= one million dollars is available yearly
$ for highway work in the State. Even
s this expenditure, it would seem. If
e properly applied should give us high
;, ways that would be serviceable in the
, early spring and the late fall. Under
) the present system our highways are
Il quite impossible until May and they
e again become quite impossible in Oc-
tober, or even earlier, as certainly was
= the case the present year. I am speak
ing of automobile travel.
II Heavy travel. or heavily loaded
t trucks. was a subject Of considerable
e attention in the congress Some favor
e ed practically unlimited tonnage. while
o others would restrict the tonnage to as
e low as three tons. but all with the idea
" of constructing the highways to hold
IL up under these heavy loads.
d I'm building a new highway policy
a for Vermont the coming heavy travel
= feature of the future, and this is near
g at hand. should be given careful con-
e sideration
It HARD SURFACED ROADS WILL
e| ALONE MEET REQUIREMENTS.
n I'm closing, l may say that / am
e Istrongly of the opinion that only hard
surfaced roads will meet the require
ID ments of the future. If the State con-
is tinues the construction of dirt or gray
ell roads they must be given substan-
& tial foundation and adequate main
tenance. And maintenance will be
'e necessary and economical no matter
n what kind of highway is constructed.
g, Rebuilding the same highway every
II 12 months or to be more accurate, every
If six months, Is not economy or Is II
re good business form and view point.
.oI Again, L see no reason why YER
1t mont should hesitate at a proper bond
m issue
in with the hope that Vermont will
~ keep pace with the more progressive
ct States of the Union in its road build
u ing, / am,
al VERY truly yours,
JAMES e. KENNEDY"