The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-08-15
WANT TO ABANDON
UNUSED HIGHWAYS
New Hampshire Towns Claim 1t ImpOs-
sibie to Maintain Them With En-
pensiVe State Roads.

KEENE. n H., Aug l5.-Arglments
were recently made before the court
here on the petition of the town of
Stoddard for the discontmuance of sew
cfal public highways, for a long time
substantially unused as such, but, upon
which, should accidents 20 traffic occur,
the town may be held liable. so long as
the old roads remain public highways.
The town, at its March meeting, voted
to discontinue these roads, in whole or
i'm part and TO ask the court to discon-
t,nue others laid out by the county OF
by the proprietors. The petition was
referred to the county commissioners to
hold hearings and to make certain find
hgs. The commissioners sitting have
been Messrs. j. p. Welman, William +.
johnson and foEmer Commissioner Al
len {. Wilcox, Commissioner William
- Iuttle, being disqualified because a
property holder III Stoddard.
Hearings upon this petition were held
III Stoddard Aug. s, Q and 10, when the
testimony of petitioners and remon
strantS was heard. The commissioners
also went over the roads which they
are asked to discontinue. Because of
the fact that this is the first applica-
ton made by any town in the county
for the simultaneous throwing up OF Il
number OF unused highways, the pro-
ccedings are deemed of general interest
as marking the beginning of new pol
icy which other towns. are very likely
TO adopt. As a compelling reason for
this Is cited the demands of modern
traffic, especially that of automobiles
and trucks, which require roads entirely
different from those of the past and
costing thousands of dollars per mile.
Providing roads OF the type now re-
qiiired for the main lines of traffic
through them alone is proving much be
yond the financial possibilities of many
small towns, it is claimed, even with
such aid from the state as may be had
And the question II the time Is not at
hand for the building and maintenance
of state roads in New Hampshire. as is
done in states in the West, for instance,
is being seriously discussed Such a
change in policy seems inevitable to
many. And where the farms along
road have all heen abandoned. where it
il no longer a general route of communi-
cation bat lae reverted to pasturage or
woodland conditions, the demand that
such roads be thrown up is said to be
growing.
Attorney Madden. Tho appeared for
various property holders EOn roads that
ii is proposed to discontinue, argued
that the roads in question should not
be abandoned, not only because this
NpNtA idl @tiN btJIINt property N0!NbIN
thereon OF access to their lands, but be-
cause the future of the town depends
upon progress, rather than upon retro
gression. The town. he maintained.
should he dominated by a civic spirit
such as has inspired the back to the
farm movement" and should ilse every
effort to develop the natura' attractions
and rustic beauty of these long estab.
lished highways, historic in their asso-
Citations and essential to landowners as
well as to the proper intercommunica-
tion of the peonle of adjacent villages.
attorney Faulkner. on behalf of the
petit toner's. argued that the reonening
Of these roads and putting them into
safe condition for public travel I'M
der the conditions and laws of TODAY, is
q practical impossibilitv because of the
very great expense involved: that even
if they should be continued or reo~aned
and put into condition. there would be
no material increase in travel upon