Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-02-18
Peoples Pulpit

Editor Courier:
May l ask for a small space IN your
valuable paper. I have seen and hearo
SO much about good roads that
thought I would like to say few
words from rural mail carrier
standpoint. will put most OF my
thoughts to the bad roads as 1t seems
more can be said on bad roads than
on good roads as we have more bad
roads in Iowa than any other KIND.
Before going farther, l will say that
the roads are in better conditions than
they were two or three years ago, but
why shouldn't they be with SO mucn
money expended on them? But l be-
lieve they Will be far better when the
road workers make a study of their
work.
AS the mail carrier travels over his
route he sees the mud holes and other
bad places in the road and as he
passes over such place he studies
way that that place could be helped
with the least cost, and the road work
| er could see good way to help those
| places If he would give them little
study.
You know the best way Is the
cheapest always, and sometimes the
| cheapest is best NO. ROAD
worker can do the work as 1t should ne
l done without making the road work
a study. Most of the road workers are
farmers and they give their farm their
first attention and work the roads
i whenever they have a few spare days
or in the fall just before the ground
freezes / think this working the roads
in the fail is the worst of all as we
all know that will leave the dirt loose
and in the spring we have more deer
mud than we would otherwise have II
: the work was done at the proper time
While l don't wish to condemn nor Of
fend any one yet 1t don't look TO ms
, that the roads are worked as they
/ should be. Some one. said 1T was
! crime to have such roads, and TIT
: people who travelled them was payint
: the penalty If this is true the rura
mail carrier is paying more OF tn
penalty than his share as he must b'
, on the roads SO much.
Z Will you pardon me If tell you how
, the roads are worked IN some IN
stances? The road boss will go on the
roads with six horses hitched to {
l grader ct is true the roads neet
grading at times) and il there is ;
lIevel piece of roads the work Is fine
. but If you will notice as they go dow
a hill (and we have few in south
4 eastern 1owa) and there is bridge o
: culvert at the bottom, and you knoy
r there is bridge or culyert at the bot
e tom OF most hills, as the grader come
a near the bridge the driver will !swin
:, his horses to the middle of the roa
. and cross the bridge or culvert,, run
q ming the water in the road l can sa
n and be safe that 80 per cent of tn
n bridges and culverts have a mud pud
: die on each side. and you can tell whe
. you are about to bridge as 20
= will splash through a puddle Of nu
> and then bump against bridge, a
l. most bridges have straight edge.
o sometimes think If the shovel wa
If used a little more it might be better
"a A banker gives his business stud
. that he may know where and how
= put his money that it will pay best
e the business man studies his bushes
ID that he may make 1t profitable: tt
e farmer studies his farm that he ma
q know what to plant in different field
1, of his farm to obtain the best result
- and yet the roads that we all use al
10 not given the proper attention. W
a. have trustees, and county supervise,
te and we that are on the roads soms
le times wonder If they do their duty.
Ia wish to say to the trustees: Try
- have the road worker do large p
20 cent Of the work in the early sun
10 mer. Listen, the bad roads are n
the only thing that displeases me
carrier While I believe ! have Il
ut best patrons in the state and / kno
ST they appreciate the daily mail by Il
Ia kindness they show to their carrie
-, ~ but IL you will pardon me will t.
10 the position of some boxes on son
rs routes: There are some boxes situat
in so the carrier must drive in dit
f. with one horse and one side of h
at wagon which makes 1t very mean, al
~ then have to pull across the road
r. another box, and there are boxes up
do the bank and some under trees viii
lg accounts for the hole in the top of t
ne carriers wagon.
nd I tell you what lets do: Take yo
:. team and buggy and drive to yo
mail box as your carrier must do a.
then If you think 1t can be changed
W. make it better for the carrier do SO
en- If you could trim the limbs off tn
of tree the carrier will thank you / kno
as II there is any one that the farm
"a: - a. 60