Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-07-19
COUNTY MONEY IS
CAUSE Of STRIFE
Treasurers' Association May Ask
For Law to Put Funds Out
at Interest
IOWA HAS CEMENT FOR WORLD
Plants Now in Operation, and Those
Under Course Of Erection, Could Sup
ply Universal Demand for This
Building Msterial-state Architect
Leibbe Makes Investigation.
Special to Times-Republican.

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Des Moines, July 19.-It is under
stood that sentiment in the Iowa asso-
citation of county treasurers is ripe for
asking the legislature to enact a law
that will govern the putting of county
funds on deposit at. interest, and that
will take the money out of their hands
in a measure. AT least that will re-
lieve them of some of the enlbarrass
ment of being obligated to banks of
their county for their election.
Because of some local agitation of
the subject of the deposit of county
tax payers, the information is being
HANDED about that 1t cost one Polk
county treasurer $4,000 to get elected
to the office 1t cost another $500.
That is to Say. that much money was
spent for their election but none, or
at least little of it, came out of their
pockets. The banks of Des Moines
put up the money and in consideration
of this, and also in consideration of the
fact that these same banks go on the
security bond of the county treasurer,
they get the public funds without in
terest.
The agitation started some time ago
with the enactment of law directing
that the funds of the state be deposited
at interest. This, and the fact that
the law provides that the funds of the
state shall be deposited only in the
banks at Des Moines, takes the state
funds out of politics. The county
funds in every county in the state, the
city funds in every city and Ahe school
and township funds in every township
and school district are still source of
contention and are the only question,
practically, that is involved in the cleo
tion of these treasurers
In addition to the people losing the
interest from the use of their money
the stockholders of the banks are out
because Of the use of the funds of the
banks in politics, the banks on the los
ns side always being out the money
they have advanced for the campaign.
go
A part Of this evil will be corrected,
no doubt, during, the campaigns to
come because of the fact that the last
legislature enacted a law prohibiting,
under penalty, any corporation using
any part of its funds for political pur-
poses. This will not be an advantage
to the private banks that are not in
col'porated over those that are It is
likely that the next legislature will be
asked to abolish the offices of school
and township treasurer and provide
that the county treasurer shall be the
disbursing officer for those funds.
That cement Is the coming building
material, and that Iowa has enough
of 1T to supply the world for thousands
Of years, is the claim of State Archi-
tect Leibbe, who has made some care
full investigations along that line He
claims that the new Portland cement
plant that IS being erected at Harvey,
has enough of the material alone to
last the country thousands of years
but he claims that many other sections
of the state are quite as favorably sit
uated as is Harvey and he believes
that Portland cement plants will spring
up in numbers over the state of Iowa
within few years.
Portland cement was first made in
Leeds. England, in 1924, ard was so
named because of it's resemblance to a
poplar limestone taken from Portland
Island. The difference between Port
land cement and natural cement is
that the ingredients in Portland cement
are collected and mixed while in nat
ural cement the ingredients are found
in the earth already mixed, but are
not always in the proper proportions
and hence the Portland cement is
ranked as the better.
For years 1t has been the policy of
Iowa to use Portland cement in the
state buildings wherever it can The
floors of many Of the state institu-
tons are made of cement. A floor
three inches thick is laid across a
space of an entire room without other
support than the steel rods laid in the
cement. 1t is claimed by architects
and scientists that cement has but
little tensile strength, but very great
resistance. Unless the supporting
walls spring out the only weak place
In cement floor Is the under surface.
The floor to fall in must either crum-
BILE, and be crushed together In it's
upper surface, or pull apart in its un-
der surface. Since it cannot be
crushed the weakness is In the under
surface and thru this are laid at fire.
quent intervals steel rods.
The floor Is the most difficult piece
Of the work Of construction. according
to Mt. Leibbe. and this solved it is easy
to build an entire building so that 1t
will, be one solid piece of concrete.
Furthermore, 1t is used by the state
in preference to many other kinds OF
material. because with a good foreman
to oversee the work it can be done
with 81 day men, where brick
and freproofing can be laid only by
81 and $5-a-day men.