Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-12-04

thoroughly discussed at the yesterday
afternoon session of the Wapello
County Farmers institute. While the
attendance was not large every farmer
present was vitality interested in the
subject and a majority took part in the
discussion. The others drank in the
II good thoughts of their brother tillerS
of the soil.
How to Make and Maintain Good
Roads, was told by H. o. Johnson,
who resides near Agency. He handled
his paper in thorough manner. Mr..
Johnson in opening told of the bad
roads in Wapello county, especially in
his neighborhood. He declared that
4 all We're living in the age when all
can do good work and this good work
should be done on the roads. One of
the main troubles, said he were the
culverts which had been put in to
drain the roads. These become stop
ped up, thereby stopping the drainage.
Two things necessary for good roads,
said Mr.. Johnson, were good drainage
and grading. The speaker was
heartily in favor of the King road drag
as he stated that it had been used by
him and brought good results. TIL
Ing was also very instrumental in
making good roads and he referred to
road near Agency where over 200
feet of tile had been placed and which
partially relieved the situation. With
the same work accomplished on the
other side of the road, said Mr.. John
son, that section of the road would be
: put in first class shape. AT the
farmers institute the speaker thought
was the ideal place for the discussion
of the good roads question and he went
on to explain why it should be dis
: cussed. Mr.. Johnson said that his
} memory recalled a sermon delivered
by preacher in the old Ashland
church several years ago, when the
I, divine declared that the United
: States was the only civilized nation
of the world
This brought Mr.. Johnsons mind to
; the fact that the United States was
the only civilized nation on earth that
was getting along with mud holes. He
: thought that the farmers should get
to work at once and put the rural
roads in good condition as he said 1T
would be mighty big step from the
mud holes Of Iowa to the golden pave
; ment Of Heaven. Mr.. Johnson declar.
> ed that the main trouble was that the
farmers did not like to work the roads
without any money while the road
!, supervisor got pay for his work. He
also stated that if the farmers would
all work together that this phase OF
. the trouble would be eliminated. He
: admitted that it cost something to
u drag the roads and was in favor of a
fund being raised to be devoted to
this purpose. With good bridges and
culverts and with perfect grading Mr.
| Johnson believed that the good roads
: question would be solved.
$ F. A. Nimocks Talks.
Postmaster Frank NimockS, chair
|, man of the good roads committee OF
the Commercial club, and who is max
e ing a study of the good roads question
e was called upon for an address. He
5 was heartily in favor of the plans as
l. laid down in Mr.. Johnson's talk and
n went on to explain the work that was
being done by the Commercial club il
l. the good roads matter He stated
S that he was not criticizing any one
}, but the supervisors in the rural dis
u tricts were not doing the work right
The way to solve the question, sait
/ he, was to get all of the farmers in
:, terested into the work and get ou
s and work the rural highways He ex
II pressed his opinion that money realiz
n ed in the different townships in roat
e and poll tax should not be expended
y as it is now done, but should go to {
e fund for that purpose. He believed
II that the greatest thing in good roat
work was drainage. He went on II
say that the farmers to work thu
IL roads would have to sacrifice a part o
lr the time but the time would be wei
h spent. In his opinion the roads il
ir the rural districts were not an,
IS worse than in the neighborhood OF OF
e tumwa. He stated that he was not II
II favor of the present system of doins
n the road work and thought the farm
le ers should elect man who Woult
ID look after the roads and should not lie
n politics interfere with their selection
May Lose Routes.
The Ottumwa postmaster explained
le the reason why six miles of rural fire.
N delivery route No. had been takel
ID off on account of the deplorable con
dition of the roads. He was sorry tina
the territory had been cut off Blu
IS stated that the government would no
1t furnish free delivery to the patrons
he they did not keep the roads in cond1
e. ton so the rural carrier could ge
n along without getting stuck in mu
holes. He stated that the free deliver
service would be resumed on that par
of route No. 5 as soon as it froze VI
). Mr.. Nimocks declared that two othe
rural routes out of the Ottumwa pos
Z office might be cut off on account O
the conditions of the highways owe
: which the carrier travelled. He wen
I on to explain that the rural route
J were costing the government owe
: S4O,O0O,0O0, while they were onl
! bringing in about s6,000,000. He toll
the farmers to keep the roads in COZ
= dition so the routes would not be di:
I'd continued because they would never b
id put back on again if abolished ono
is because the government was losi-.
I'd money on this department of the ma
re service Mr. Nimocks is in favor {
nj concrete culverts and he asked the il
IS stitute to go on record in favor of thi
n kind of culvert