Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1903-02-05
THE PUBLIC PUisE
What Prominent Citizens Think
Of Proposed Drainage
improvements,

Missouri Valley regarding the
proposed drainage bitches The
Daily Times today directed in
quiries to several of the prom
inent citizens of this city re-
garding the project, and the
following responses were made;
]. S. McGavren, banker-Do
l think the proposed Harrison
and Pottawattamie county
bitches a good thing? Most
assuredly do if they will carry
enough water and carry it fast
enough and far enough. If
they will meet above conditions
| could name several sets of ten
farmers and either set could
we'll afford to make the entire
investment as a business propo-
sition. However, this is a day
of specialists. Every man to
his trade. If you want to build
a $4,000 building you hire an
architect to formulate your
ideas. If you launcha a 100000
business proposition you en-
ploy an attorney to keep you in
bounds. And so it is in every
avenue of industry today, a spe-
cialist, who knows only the one
thing but knows it better than
anybody else does, is employed
to crystalize our ideas. Before
the Board spends $4,000 of
"other peoples money" in a
matter of which they cannot, in
the nature of things, have any
technical knowledge, would it
not be we'll for them to spend a
little money in getting a coun-
Gil of EXPERT engineers to tel
us the best way to go about it
Did | say engineers? | in
tended to say DRAINAGE engin-
eers. SOME of the ditching we
have done in the past woulc
indicate our need of just such
advice. Some of our bitches
won't draw" Do you want 3
$4,000 ditch to work that way.
If l owned any land to be
taxed for these bitches | should
want to be Shown and
think the board that spends
this money ought to be from
Missouri Walley).
G. w. Colt, Physician-Am
in favor of drainage? If done
scientifically and on an ample
and efficient scale as to insure
the results desired unequiv
ocally-yes. If in a haphazard
and i'll devised emphatic
ally no. For thirty-five years
I have been only an observer
but out. of my observations
have come a strong intuition
viz. that in times Of emergency
bitches parallel to each othel
for long distances become ovel
burdened and useless, whereas
if at proper points bitches run
ming west to the Missouri rivel
were constructed l think the
problem would be partially
solved. Again, bitches ever
when properly constructed will
not care for themselves en-
forcing proper laws diligently
and continuously is the only
way the efficiency of ditche!
may be maintained.
w. ]. Burke, banker Ny
idea on the drainage question
is, | think, we'll known and i
: in harmony with the business
interests of this community
How anyone could drive across
the country west Of Mo. Vale.
at the present time and thinl
otherwise / do not understand
Figure it out for yourself. d.
you own a home in Mo. VALLEY
worth 100000? Would tn.
proposed drainage be worth
$500 to that property? Ant
yet that amount, one-half o:
one per cent, from all the pro
perty interested, would con
struct all the bitches necessary
Construct those bitches BEFORl
the June freshets.
A. B. Hosbrook, Justice o
the Peace Every obstacle tt
the early letting of the cor
tracts for the construction o
the Allen creek and Willow
creek bitches seems to hav,
been removed. The action O
the Pottawattamie count,
authorities secures the outle