Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-03-07
A GOOD ROADS COLLEGE.

If the business men of MarshalltoWn
follow up their effort to interest them
selves in the matter of good roads they
Will discover that there is Il college of
good roads in full operation under the
auspices of the department of agricul-
ture at Washington whose graduates
are in demand all over the country.
William T.. Curtis. writing in the
Record Herald says:
There is new kind of college in
Washington down on Fourteenth street
between Il and c streets, back of the
department of agriculture. 1T Is q
modest institution, and. like most other
things that begin young. is unpreten-
tious and of limited dimensions. But.
nevertheless. it is doing good work. and
is turning out a group of graduates
every year thoroughly trained to pro-
fession that is entirely new and al
most unique in the United States. al
tho 1t has existed for centuries of use
fulness in Europe.
Soon after Secretary Wilson got the
good roads movement thoroughly
started he discovered that it would be
necessary to educate men to handle It,
and that it was of vital Importance
that the money appropriated for the
Improvement of roads should be ex-
pended in an economical and a scien-
titic manner. He argued that unscien-
tific and defective methods of road
building would mean not only waste
in the particular case in point. but that
the effect would result in retarding
road building there and elsewhere for
on indefinite period. Therefore. there
was only one conclusion. which was
that # the national government un-
lcr5 .ok t. facilitate and encourag5 he
i,nprovel,e MT of the highways of his
country its first and most imp ortant
Guty was TO furnish a supply of com
2etent engineers to instruct and direct
local effic ais in their work.
The office of public roads has met
the situation in an admirable manner.
so far as its means win permit. by
providing one-year course of grad
uate instruction in highway engineer
ing. A competitive examination Is
held every year under the auspices OF
the civil service commission at Wash
ington, which is open to graduates
of engineer schools or to members OF
the senior classes of such schools, and
upon a successful passing of the ex-
animation the student is rendered a
position as civil engineer student in
the bureau at salary at $50 per
month and field expenses. At the end
Of one year he is given a certificate
stating that he has completed the grad
uate course. He may, however. be
retained in the service and promoted
to the position of assistant engineer
without further examinations This
course is divided into laboratory in
struction and practical field work un-
der trained engineers.
There is room in this country for
several thousand road engineers, and
is needed i'm every county, and the To-
cal authorities are gradually becoming
convinced that they pay their way not
only by showing the people how to
make better roads, but by introducing
various economies which make the
money go farther than would be pos
sible in the hands of inexperienced
men Some of the graduates of the
school are now receiving salaries of
SO 900 and $4,000. so great is the de-
mand for them. The number of stu
dents is limited because of the lack
of money, and it is hoped that con-
gress will appreciate the Importance
of the college and increase it's facil-
tiles The present class come mostly
from the middle west, and are all