The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1921-11-03

er Of highways. was the final speaker
OF the afternoon. His talk was con-
else exposition OF the problems OF
present day highway building. He
said in substance:
'.The highway departments prob
lem Is 10 construct and maintain high
ways that will meet the requirements
Of the travelling public. So we must
first learn what the public wants and
then find way 10 supply it The pub
lie expects serviceable, safe, smooth
and dustless roads.
There is no one type that will sat
isfy all Of these conditions in every
instance. Type depends on many cir
cumstances, and there is no highway
cureall."
This concluded the afternoons
meeting, and there followed several
group conferences on each Of the sub
jects covered by the speakers.
There was a good attendance at the
evening meeting, and committee con-
sisting Of Arthur G. Eaton Of Mont
pelier, Wallace H. Gilpin of Barton
and Howard L. Hindley Of Rutland
presented resolutions condemning the
railroad employees for refusing to obey
the order Of the railroad board, COM
mending the action Of Governor Hart
ness in calling together the COMMITTEES
on public safety and pleading the sup
port OF the association TO the mainten-
ance Of law and order and every prop.
err effort to provide for continuous
transportation.
These resolutions were unanimously
adopted.
Mason S. Stone Of Montpelier, form
er lieutenant governor, made report
on the committee Of public safety
which he said was already functioning
He asked for the cooperation Of every
Vermonter in case Of railroad strike
President Fred H. Babbitt then in
troduced Secretary James p Taylor as
chairman for the evening, who intro
duced w. S. Rossiter as the principal
speaker Of the conference.
Mr.. Rossiter's address is in part as
follows:
at should not be ignored that there
are grave problems confronting this
state, some of them Of long growth
and others old, but accentuated by the
war and recent economical conditions
The people of Vermont would be un-
worthy Of their illustrious forebears
II they failed to confront these prob
lens bravely, and IL they do, the solu-
tion ought TO be practicable.
"The most noteworthy population
change in the census Of 1920 was the
increased and almost alarming move.
ment Of population from the country
to city. This is not serious for most
of the states Of the union, since, for
the large majority it merely means
transferPf population from their owr
rural to their own urban districts. In
Vermont, for example, the loss from
rural population ought TO have beer
q case for concern. But to New York
great in population and enormously
wealthy, with unlimited resources, this
change meant very little because but
little Of the rural loss actually left the
state.
"But in Vermont loss from the rural
district means lose to the state
Forty-one out Of forty-eight states
possess larger cities than Vermont
and those which do not are mostly
mining or prairie states of the West
which are practically immune from
loss Of population, so that taken as
whole the shift from rural to urbsl
is more serious to Vermont thsn fol-
any other state Of the union.
"The state increased 81 per cent
from the first to the second censuses
with rapidly decreasing increases, SO
that from 1880 to 1920, in period OF
90 years, the actual increase in inhab-
itants was only as great as during the
decade from the first to the second
census. The population Of the United
States has increased 26 fold; Vermont
four fold. At the Vermont rate the
United States would have 10000, ,00O
I inhabitants at the present time.
vermont surpassed New Hamp-
shire in 1910. The race was neck and
neck until 1870 after which New
Hampshire passed Vermont and has
led her for so years. Mere iacreass
in itself is not important We lay toe
much stress upon it. Failure 70 in
crease is serious only because it sug-
gests that stagnation is so close 70 the
line OF deterioration.
I "By 1850 one-third OF the towns
showed decrease. These however
we're not Of much significance be
cause Of boundary changes, but they
gathered momentum al each census g
4ks. a. the rerz4ie AZ 1850 more thar