Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-04-20
WHAT WILL THE TOWNSHIP Oo3

WHAT WILL THE TOWNSHIP Dor
Now that the good roads convention
IL over, what then? Delegates from
every county and nearly every COM
munity, met. talked, voted, and con-
cluded-but is this all? The convention
was helpful both in its agitation of a
vital question and in the facts and
theories advanced along the line of
highway improvement. Conventions,
however, do not uild roads. They as
sist to more thoro understanding of
needs and necessities. bring out valu-
!. able facts and lead toward united eff
fort; but the dirt roads of the state
remain under precisely the same con-
ditions as obtained before the V
ton. The proceedings of that meeting
are ready to become history or tradf-
ton, as the people of the state may
will. The actual task of road improve
ment belongs to them. What are they
going to do?
Under the new law this question must
be answered by the township. The law,
lacks considerably of perfection, but it
Ii a step toward more m~ethodical and
efficient road work.. Its greatest weak
ness is simply the weakness of such
township trustees as shall fail thru
lack of competency Or against adverse
sentiment to make the best of 1t. It
tematic expenditure of the o III
toward a definite end. In townships
where a majority of tax payers oppose
the system, where trustees are careless
or prejudiced or where the road super
intendency and road labor are used
charitably to furnish employment to
failures and incompetents the new or
der will miscarry. In other townships
blessed with a business administration
Of its road affairs, vast Improvements
will be shown over the disorderly and
Inadequate methods formerly in vogue.
The law is good enough to begin on.
The burning question at present is.
when will we begin?
Perhaps it is too soon to talk of
gravel and stone roads, in this state.
but especially in those counties where
stone and gravel are accessible. the
hard o is certain to come. In other
sections where the cost of stone and
gravel make these unavailable, burnt
clay, or, possibly something better, will
be substituted. AS land values rise
roads grow better. and the top dressing
OF q dirt road with hard material fol-
lows grading and drainage easily and
naturally. The dirt road properly con
structed, is, however, the first consid-
Grafton, and one which at the present
time the people Of Iowa are most Wit
ally interested.
There are two prime necessities to
the successful building of dirt roads
grading and drainage. These roads,
raised considerably above the level of
low ground, and provided with drain
age bitches of requisite capacity on
sons, and are bad only during the short
period of the spring breakup when the
frost leaves the ground. UGH roads.
once constructed, are ready for i top
dressing of gravel, which, when added,
will render them not only p%assable,
but excellent turnout the entire yea
first. Gravel thrown upon Doggy and
marshy roads at the common level, is
money and labor practically thrown
away
Let US for a year or two forget stone.
gravel and state aid and make dirt
roads with common sense and system.
to do more, but make them! The added
selling value of farms located on good
roads to the best market will pay every
cent of the cost and leave a comforts
able balance.
Conventions ma advise an agitation
OF the road question to assist in Great
ing a public sentiment favorable to
road improvement. h actual burden
and expense rests nevertheless upo
the township and It's tax payers What
are they going to do about it?
BUSINESS FEATURES.
Cold and wet weather during the
past week in many sections of the coun-
try retarded retail trade in spring and
summer wearing apparel. Jobbers also