Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-01-09
Floyd County Representative
Would Prevent School Child
rem Running at Large
HIGH FENCES FOR GROUNDS
Woven Wire Capped by Barbs Is Pro-
posed by Lawmaker to Keep Rural
Youngsters Within Grounds-NoveI
Drainage Bill to Be introduced in
the House.

Special to Times-Republican.
Des Moines Jan. 9.-That something
| with sharp end is necessary to re-
strain Iowa school boys is the conten-
ton of Representative Loren w. In
man. of Floyd county, who will intro
duce in the Thirty-ninth general as
sembly a bill looking toward prohibit
| ing school boys from overrunning prop
erty beyond the school limits. Isl
! There has been much complaint over
| the state that school children overrun
4 property of private individuals adj
| joining school premises and! that a
board fence is only delight to the
| youngsters. In many places the school
grounds are close to orchards and gar
| dens and all the discipline of the coun-
| try teacher will not overcome the in
| herent taste for good things to eat.
| The present law prohibits a barbed
wire fence within three yards of the
borders of school premises. This was
passed to prohibit barbed wire fences
along the edge of school yards, as 1t
was claimed children in playing would
run into it and be badly lacerated and
possibly permanently disfigured.
Now Mr.. Inman has an amendment
to this law that he believes will over
come the present difficulty and the
one foreseen in barbed wire fences. He
purposes to change the law so as to
permit the erection of woven wire
fences four feet high and the stringing
of barbed wire above this. Children
could not run into such a barbed wire.
he says, and the sharp prongs on top
would deter them from trying to climb
over. He believes this measure should
pass so as to give farmers with land
adjoining school districts some prote,-
ton from the children. AS it is it is
claimed boys climb over wooden fences
and thru them despite all the rules the
school board may adopt and all the
vigor the teacher may employ to en-
force them. He will probably introduce
his bill early in the session.
Mr.. Inman, being a school teacher
himself, will probably make a strong
effort to secure good place on the
committee on schools. He was on the
committee two years ago and will
probably make an effort to secure the
Craftsmanship this year.
-p-
Perhaps one of the most novel laws,
and one on which depends one Of the
biggest agricultural enterprises ever
attempted in the. state, to be intro
duced in the fThirty-third Iowa general
assembly will be offered by Represen-
tative a. C. Ripley, of Hancock coun-
ty.
The measure he will propose would
permit supervisors of counties in GER
tain cases to expend money for I'M
proyeinents in other counties. 1t
sounds strange but is based upon
condition that has arisen in his own
county There a drainage district has
been organized and a drainage ditch
over three miles long surveyed empty
ing into the Iowa river near the south
eastern corner. of Hancock county. This
ditch is one of the biggest attempted
in the state and will involve an ex-
penditure of about 100000. The farm
ers are all for it, but here is the
sticking point. In order to make the
ditch practical it will be necessary 10
dredge the Iowa river in Wright coun-
ty in order to secure the right fall for
drainage. AS the law exists the super
visors have no right to expend funds
for dredging the Iowa river in Wright
county and Wright county has no in
terest in the dredging as no land IN
that county is benefited. SO Mr. Ripley
would have the law amended so as to
permit the supervisors of his county
to expend money in dredging the Iowa
river in Wright county.
But there is another formidable op-
position to the enterprise The state is
taking stand against the big, ditch
plans, because it is claimed If the Iowa
river is dredged as planned it will
drain Twin lakes in Hancock county.
These lakes are little more than slews
being supplied with water by the back
water Of the Iowa. river during spring
freshets. They are little use as lakes
but are excellent hunting fields. State
authorities, it Is said, wish to keep
these lakes and will oppose the dredg-
Ing Of the Iowa river to an extent that
will drain them. So Mr. Ripley is en-
tering upon a hard fight upon the sue
cess of which depends a great agricul-
tural enterprise.
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