The Caledonian-record. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-current, 1922-08-03

Council instead Of :he present
( budget committee with its men,
bership increased by having the
secretary of state, and the
commissioner Cf agriculture. AS
50 per cent of the states money is
spent by the departments of ag-
rculture and education the heads
OF these departments should be
consulted This budget commit
tee should report direct to the leg
islature early in the session and
the Governor could then veto the
appropriation bill if he so desired.
In the last session the appropria-
ton bill was held up in the Senate
until within an hour of adjourn
mellt. 1t carried budget of over
$4,000,000 and the Governor did
not get the bill until the members
had started for home. | also be-
lieve the Governor should be on
the job allthe time, giving his
whole time to his official duties.
Second, by placing, as far as
possible, all the work of the diff
ferent Boards and Commissions
under the principal departments.
This will centralize responsibility.
Third, believe the Superinten-
dent of Education, in cooperation
with the next Legislature, will be
able to work out a plan that will
materially reduce the overhead ex-
pense in the Educational Depart
ment without detriment to the
service.
l have great faith in Supt.
Dempsey. He showed a great deal
of tact in the last Legislature in
getting things together. There is,
however, great dissatisfaction
>oout our school supervision. But
at the same time the expenses of
this department have not increas-
ed in proportion to other depart
ments.
Fourth, we spent $2.23O,O0O on
roads, last year, $835.000 of this
being Federal work. | believe
our practical road builders here
in Vermont know more about the
conditions in Vermont and the
proper way to construct roads here
and have them stand up, than
any set Of engineers in Washing
ton, and it is being demonstrated
that roads costing $4,000 to $35,-
900 per mile and built according
to Federal specifications, do not
stand the traffic. At present, we
are not getting even fifty per cent
efficiency from the Federal Aid
work. There is a great opportun
ity here to cut down expenses and
get more roads built for less mon
ey If we can change the specifi
cations in this department to the
Telford type Of construction, we
shall get more miles of road for
our money and this type of road
will stand up longer. if properly
| drained.
Candidate Foote severely critic
lied the method of construction of
Federal roads, quoting the con-
tractor of the Federal constructed
road in Shelburne as declaring
that he didn't expect the road
would last three years because of
the specifications. He contrasted
+ this with the strip of road built in
the village of Enosburg that after
three years of hard usuage was as
good as when it was first built.
/ | would urge that standard spec
ifcations for bridges of a gwen
length be used in most cases,
thus saving thhe epense of a num-
Der of engineers.
The present method of taxing
automobiles is unfair. | am not
particular whether the remedy is
agasoline tax or a registration fee
based on the value ard weight of
the car. Our present system, bas-
ed on the diameter of the cylinder
is not indicative of the horse pow
| cr.
Concerning the motor truck
! problem he said the big trucks
that wore out our roads and did
not have a Vermont registration
should be taxed for the privilege
of doing business in Vermont as
was done by The state of Maine.
He explained somewhat in detail
the Maryland law where the regis
ration fee was very low but there
was gasolene tax of two cents a
gallon for every car except farm
tractors.
Fifth, the legislature of 1921
appropriated over $512,500 for
new buildings for State institu-
tions. 1t will be necessary to make
very little, if any appropriation
| nntinnnA On nct D-r-n