Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-01-16

adjust to the necessities of highway con-
struction. now that the automobile has
brought all parts of the State close to-
sether, and the motor truck Is fast TAX
ing the place of horse drawn vehicles
Ior the transportation Of produce and
other merchandise over our highways.
Inc value of farm or manufacturing
property Is measured somewhat ~ Its
Instance from the market where It's prod
ucts are sold. A farm which is located
III miles from its market center on a road
winch is good and passable for a motor
truck or other heavy vehicle at all seasons
OF the year Is In fact nearer market and
more accessible than a farm located three
miles from It's market center upon a road
impossible for motor vehicles six months
In the year.
under the town system We are likely to
nave 27 different kinds of roads. owing
10 the different ideas of PAT road COM
missioners, and although the provisions
Tor state and county supervision repre-
sent a decided advance, we are neverthe-
iess raced by the necessity of changing
our plan of highway construction and
maintenance so that we shall have. not
only better town roads in our 27 towns.
out continuous highways from town to
town and from county to county, which
may be travelled with safety and conven-
fence all seasons of the year.
To this end 1t seems desirable for you
to consider whether 1t would not be we'll
TO place the construction of certain Sc
lected highways in the hands of a State
board to consist of the State highway
commissioner, the State engineer and the
governor ex oficio.
We are spending in the vicinity of a
million dollars a year for highway pur-
poses. and a survey Of conditions in YER
mont during the months of October and
November In the year 1918 must convince
any student of road building conditions
that there is something radically wrong
with our present plan of highway con-
struction and maintenance. The results
accomplishcd for the past 10 years have
not been commensurate with the heavy
expenditures which have been incurred.
You should consider some radical change
to be made therein, n whether the
State should adopt a policy regarding it's
highways as a profitable investment and
not entirely as a perpetual expense.
1 am not advocating a bond issue nor
do 1 consider it necessary for the State
to borrow any large amount of money
at one time. But 1t is a fact that the
money collected from automobile licenses,
from the State tax. and from legislative
appropriations. Is sufficient to maintain
all the permanent roads of the State,
considerably improve the town roads, pay
the interest on such loans as you may
consider necessary to authorize for per-
manent highway construction, and pro-
vide a sinking fund for retiring the bonds
at their maturity. should you consider
it wise to authorize such an issue.
I do not conceive it my duty to formu-
late a set plan at this time.
1t is sufficient to say tina in my judg-
ment a comprehensive highway plan can
be satisfactorily and proftably financed,
so as to secure the construction of such
permanent highways as you may desig-
nate, mourning no excessive burden. And
I shall be glad to cooperate with you in
its accomplishment.
1t Is seemingly superfluous to say tina
in connection with such a plan the same
rigid system of audit should prevail as
in all other departments of State gov
rnment and Expenditures should b. au-
thorized by a responsible State board,
either the proposed highway board, or
the existing board Of control, and no
AOACJ oHoulu OS eAptIlucu eACepC 10
pay for work actually done, material
actually purchased and only upon prop
erly approved vouchers to be paid by
the State treasurer, the same as in other
State expense.
The federal government will undoubted-
ly increase the amount Of It's appropria-
tons available for road construction and
the State Of Vermont should lake advan-
tage Of all moneys apportioned to this
State for such work.
or course any plan which Is adopted
for permanent road construction will not
obviate continued effort to improve the
country roads. which work Is quite as
necessary and important as the build
ing of permanent roads so-called.
TAXATION
Elsewhere l have called your attention
to the remarkable growth of State in
stltutions. a list of which indicates that
we have machinery for conducting a
State as large as Massachusetts or New
York, although we have a population
less than the city of Buffalo. A list COM
pairing Vermont with cities of about the
same population in the country follows:
Assessed
Valuation Of
Population. Property.
...... ........ 1854 .322 S233, 479, 6i7
buffalo ........ ........ t72,169 $50, 213, 1873
minneapolis go. ....... 363.45f 265, 1852, 603
Washington, D. c. go. $685. 31 40, Ais, 500
New Orleans .......... 31,77 2+i, G7S. 013
You see, although we have a population
less than Buffalo by 100000, Buffalo has
two and a half times as much grand list
as we have. The State of Vermont ia