The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-01-19
RN Frank T.. Howe.

BY Frank f. Howe.
BENNINGTON. Jan I8.-One of the
'.easicst' and most cheerful jobs in
life is TO tell the world that ermont
ought to have the best roads III the
country. hard-surface roads, dustlees
roads, wide roads, we'll graded roads,
and all other virtues in roads that I'M
agination can contemplate and which
an expenditure of $4,000 per mile might
provide.
Ii Is very nearly certain, too, that
NermOnters are pretty well agreed as
to what they would like in the matter
of road construction. We read occa-
siOnally of advocates OF gravel roads,
partisans of cement roads, supporters
OF dirt roads. etc, but there is no real
difference and certainly no dividing line.
All are for the best roads Obtalnable-
cement roads where no other material
will stand the traffic, gravel roads as
next best, and well drained dirt roads
for those thoroughfares where 1t IS I'M
possible to provide anything better.
The only real difference of opinion IS
how best to 90 to work to get what all
want, whether by bonding the state or
by paying for what We have as We go
along 1t Is my opinion that bonding
the state would be the most eXtravagant
and Vasteful method the state could
adopt. and that Vermont can secure the
very best modern. improved system or
highways more quickly and for half the
money by jaying As it proceeds rather
than 10y bonding the state.
As to Trunk Lines.
IT is probably rather gencrallys agreed
that any acceptable system of naru-sur-
face roads would include one trunk line
up each side of the state, one from White
River Junction to Burlington and not
less than three crOss-statc lines. Let
Us see what will be required.
The distance from the Massachusetts
line to the Canada line on the west side
of the state Is Ia miles and on the east
side is rs miles. Call it $50 for the two.
From White River Junction to Burling
ton is approximately 100 miles. From
White River Junction to POultney, via
Rutland, 20 miles. From Springfield or
Bellows Falls to Manchester 90 miles.
From st. JOhnsburv to either Essex
junction or st. Adams 100 miles. From
st. Adams to RichfoTd 80 miles. These
distances are not all precisely accurate
bat not far from correct. Anyhow the
total will not vary much from 700 miles
and this is only a modest system. The
road from Bennington to BTatt lebOTo
,ught to be included. also from Bethel
10 Rochester. from Bethel to Alontpel-
i"r Via Randolph and NOrthheld, from
Waterbury to NOrTisville, from Hyde
Park 10 Newport, from MiddleseX to
Warren, from Ncrgennes to Bristol, from
Manchester ito Granville. y. y. from
It. Johnsbury to GuildhaIl, from Mont
pelier TO St hnsbury. from BTattle
borO to Londonderry, from Rutland to
Ludlow, from Ludlow to Bellows Falls,
from Burlington through the Islands,
from Newport to Island Pond, from
iiarrc to Bradford, and a few other
milar highways. altogether well up
wards of a thousand miles of trunk line
Nermout roads.
Bond for S2O.OOO,OOO?
?
LaTdiNmtace road system for Vermont
would compel pairing down the mIlage
10 the fewest that could be considered
- genuine state system. As will be seen
from the foregoing figures the irreduc-
bic minimum i not much below 200
RULES and the very size of the total cost
mrakcs bonding fOrmidable-S2OO 300, j
at the lowest estimate.
In the long run it would make no diff
florence whether the bonding was scat !
tered along for 20 years or was all I'M
one lEmD. The annual cost for interest
and sinking fund would be considerably
Greater than to start building the same
100 miles by direct tax at the rate of
- to 30 miles d year.
| know it will be said that it is non
sense to talk OF bonding for any sueh4
hrgc amount. that what we should do
is to bond for two or three millions to
provide cement roads where they are
most needed, and then for two or three
ore million TO go ahead with the work. !
such a scheme seems TO me unfair to I,
tha great majority of the towns of Yer
7'oUt. Two or three millions will build Il
oily a few miles of road. If placed |
where most reeded it would provide a /
cement road from Rutland to Poultney, /
from Barre to AInnt0alier. from Mont
1.Nli"r to Mortified. from Burlington to
Nillston and from White River June
on to Windsor. or equal milage in J
chtPr selected localities As outlined /
above. 10 Of the 247 towns of Vermont !
would get section of cement road from |
n bond issue equal to the grand list of
all the towns and cities in the state
Ronds Too Heavy a Burden.
1t can he readily seen that a bond is |
-'Ia would rot be just unless It were
LARGE enough to provide a hard-sirface !
road system with its benefits fairly dis |
tributed over the state. ANYTHING less !
than a 7a0-miie system could hardly be =
considered and that would mean bond
inr Vermont II six or seven times its |
AID list So heavy a debt could hardly |
~ Il over period of 30 years or more
means paving the principal and annrov- |
i'"a+aIv l'A ner cent in interest If thnl
BONDED daEt were Slj000,000 tho total
ra-Fanrts Of principal and interest
would he ~22 600 GOO To pay so huge a |
T. lot would mean q heavier burden eyervi
,rar for 1rnwardS of 20 wears than would /
IN REQUIRED to build 7G0 miles of cement +
road in dozen or = years under a paw,