The Caledonian-record. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-current, 1922-06-16
Waste Money Maintain
ing State Roads
Continued from Page /

ly safe and safely conservative,
but that does not get us anywhere
on our highways. Mark time and
eat dust for a slogan is as I'M
pleasant as it is Improbable. Each
candidate stands for economy, but
gives no details.
"Now the practical way to
economize is TO find out where :
the most waste and to stop it. In
the highway department, on ac-
count of the system. there is the
greatest waste in our budget. And
yet each candidate says to keep
on wasting at the same old bung-
hole.
Eve expended in 1921 over ST.
100000 in maintenance, a great
part of which could be saved #
we built our maintenance into our
roads. The money wasted in
maintenance hauling dirt on to
blow away, would pay the inter
est on five million dollar loan
and wipe out lhc debt in ten or II
years, and we would have the
roads now and enjoy them with
our children.
"The small states of Nevada and
Wyoming do this way, as do prac-
tically all Of the larger states.
"For ten years | have been Try
ing to devise some way to have
the road to Sandbar bridge per-
manently improved. 1t is on the
Roosevelt Highway now and is
the gateway 10 many tourists en-
tering and leaving the state, and
first and last good impressions
might mollify the others.
"The answer | usually get from
the highway department was Get
Colchester to vote more money
and the state will match it, Isn't
it ridiculous to expect the town OF
Colchester to vote money enough
to build a proper highway for the
big tourist traffic?
"Thc State should take over the
trunk lines and should now build
permanent, dustless roads in ac-
cordance with the traffic, and so
build as to keep down this huge
maintenance cost. We must, if
ever, enjoy good roads vicaiously
through our grandchildren, If we
carry on as now and wait for fed
eral aid to do all the permanent
work
"God helps those who help
Themselves Look at Los Angc-
les. She has no such natural at
fractions for winter tourists as
has Vermont for summer tourists
but she went after the business
and wasn't afraid to spend money
to get it. She drew her first
breath a years ago, and now has
a population of 1886, which Is
10000 more han San Francisco
Roads, roads. roads was the slo-
gan ten years ago of her wonder
full Chamber of Commerce and,
backed by the Southern California
Automobile club, 10000 square
miles of territory, seven times the
size of Vermont have been inter
laced with perfect roadbeds and
that is today the most travelled
area in the world.
Good gravel roads with proper
drainage and foundation, with
calcium chloride salts to lay the
dust, would probably answer for
80 per cent of the trunk lines.
Where the tourist and truck traf-
fic is heaviest, use concrete or bl-
luminous macadam, but So
OO0,000 will nut our trunk lines
in fine condition and 100000 or
less will pay the interest, and we
waste about three times that each
year The magnetic power OF
good roads for tourists is well
known. Never again IS very
common expression. Thousands
are kept away now. by the roads
You cannot enjoy the scenery in
a cloud of dust. What are our
auto clubs doing along this line?
at is time for action, not in
action; for forward march, not