Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1920-04-21
s1s1,526 FOR COUNTY ROADS
Survey for Federal Work Between
Orleans and Coventry Complete.

state highway commissioner, and
Fred Dudley, district commissioner of
Orange county, met the road officials,
selectmen and road commissioners of
Orleans county in the Pastime hall,
Newport, Thursday, April 15. More
than 100 were present including sew
eral officials from other counties. The
meeting was opened and roll called
by A. B. Cobleigh, district commits
sioner of Orleans county.
Mr.. Bates was the principal speak
er of the occasion and held the clos
est attention of the audience while
he presented some of the problms
that are confronting those who have
the building and upkeep of the roads
throughout the state.
The bridge question is one of the
largest problems confronting those
who are in charge of the highways at
the present time mainly on account
of the increased use in the past few
years of heavy trucks, which is ex-
pected to increase more and more in
the years to come. This being a fact
it will be necessary to rebuild many
bridges and to build better and
stronger ones. He said that in the
past four years between $50 and 800
bridges had been built in the state
and urged cement construction of
Df1QgeS whenever possible.
Mr.. Bates spoke at some length of
how the federal government was aid
ing the state in road building. He
said that 81 PA, 900 was the allotment
from the national treasury to Yer
mont for road work for a five year
period and thought in due time that
the federal government would main
tain certain roads as federal roads,
while others would be state roads
and still others town roads. One
hundred and one federal trucks that
were either used or built for war
purposes have been given to the state
to be used in road building, many of
which are new. Eighty-seven of
them have already arrived and are
stored at Montpelier in a new garage
that cost $4,000. These trucks are
not equipped for road use until they
are provided with bodies These
trucks will be rented to the several
towns at rental of S5 per day by
the state highway department, the
town to pay for the oil and gasolene
and also}the wages of the driver, which
the state will furnish.
Mr.. Bates is thoroughly alive to
the needs of the state in handling the
tremendous highway problem and his
talk impaired valuable information to
county road workers.
Following the meeting of road
commissioners in Pastime hall a BAN
quet given by the Chamber of Com
cree to the road commissioners and
selectmen of the county, in the Con-
gregational church dining room. 1t
was prepared by a committee of 36
ladies of the Social Union, under the
Craftsmanship of Mrs. c. j. Oben and
Mrs. George Gilchrist. McCauley's
Id n0
banquet. The IA tables were all set
and every seat was taken, making a
total OF 156 persons served. Six
teen mattresses dressed in white as
sisted in the serving. The most del
licious and attractively served menu
consisted of tomato soup, cold roast
pork and dressing, brown gravy and
mashed potato scallop, perfection sal
ad and hot rolls, coffee, doughnuts,
pickles, apple pie and ice cream,
! cigars.
Following the banquet President
Wilcox of the Chamber of Commerce
presided over short post prandial ex-
ercises. He warmly welcomed the
men to Newport and expressed a wish
that there was a county organization
, which would oftener bring the rep
lresentative citizens of the county to-
lgether He explained that Mayor
Gardner was sick or would other
wise been there to talk to the gather
ing.
He called upon Commissioner Bates
who explained more about the fedora
/, road money and its expenditure. He
said the money allotted Vermont hao
been divided for the various counties
: and the allotment for Orleans coun
, Ity was S181, ,526 to be spent over &
five year period He also stated that
! a survey had been completed of tht
! road from the Bailey four corners
on the Coventry-Or road to Or
leans village, thus completing a fed
eral road between these two places
: The survey has not yet been accept
? ed by the government but there il
:, every reason to believe it will b.
> done.
!, Mr.. Bates said a great differenc
I between what the travellers say o
: the roads now and Is years ago j
4 surprising. Then everyone saw tn
= good pieces of road and spoke o
I them. Now everyone sees the ba
places and talks of them.
!. He said Orleans county voted NOR
e money this year for road work, to b
matched bv. the state, than any othe
O county in Vermont.
8 State Engineer Macintosh spok
e briefly about his work and its growt
d in three years. Ninety different pre-
d ijects had been surveyed and specif
> Ecations made for contract work in tn
/. ipast season.
Toastma ster Wilcox then called uT
on C.. s. Emery, referring to him a
THE next governor. Mr.. Emery spok
of the Importance of our roads an
said he did not believe there was
county in the state where there wa
such unity of thought and action Z
here in Orleans county.
ce