Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-01-16
TRUSTEE FOR HIGHLAND TOWN.
SHIP GIVES HIS IDEAS OF
STATE LAWS.
DOESN'T LIKE STATUTE
Says They are Impractical and Should
be Amended - Will Present
Resolution at Coming
Meeting.

thought In preparation. Having taken |
deep interest in the study of the road !
conditions of the county. he promises |
to be one of those who will take part |
in the good roads meeting to be held
| in Ottumwa, Saturday, January %, |
and will present a resolution there
asking the Legislature to pass all
amendment to the present road laws
along the lines suggested in his paper. |
MulIaney's Ideas.
/ 'The legislatures are in session now
/ in the several states" says Mr.. Null ;
lanoy, "and the road question, an ever
! fruitful subject for discussion, is being |
pretty generally considered. have |
held the Office of township trustee IN
Highland township, Wapello county, |
Iowa. for the past two years, and have
| made the road question careful
study, at least to the extent of my in
telligence, with view to suggesting |
any improvement Of existing condi- |
tions. believe the proposition to be
considered by us lin this part of Iowa. |
at Ieast) is to make the best Of our
dirt roads.
81 condemn the present law as i'm.
Ipractical. In many places the farmers
ignore it entirely and in no place
where I am acquainted is its provls-
ions strictly complied with. The road
work carried on as a side line with
farming is a failure; there is not
work enough in any one township to
Justify competent and responsible
man to make it his sole business,
hence we have to employ some farmer
and as he cannot afford to neglect
his private business for the public wei
fare, the road work is not done when
nor as it should be. Judging by the
past season, if the work was not done
in April, there were only eight days
in May when it did not rain, and thus
the work was thrown aside. Tie
farmers got behind with their work
and there was no time until late In
the fall when the work could be done.
The bulk Of the work in this territory
was done at that time. The grader
gathered up all the trash and three O.
j four inches of bluegrass roots and lief,
it in the middle of the highway. II
this is using our road funds lntelli
gently, have my thinking cap On
wrong I believe we are ready for a
change. A change of medicine brings
hope if not relief.
Suggests Commission.
"I believe the road management
should be placed in the hands of a
commission with a state engineer 20
have general supervision in the stat
and county engineer with assistants
to be in immediate charge of the work
in their respective counties. The state
engineer would prepare plans and
specifications for bridge and culvert
construction, give advice and render
assistance in the more difficult po.-
lions Of the work. The county engt-
neer would determine the size of cul-
verts to carry the necessary drainage,
would establish grades and make esti-
|, mates after completion of the work
and in conjunction With the state engl-
Ineer would be the supervising archi-
tect in the construction Of the larger
bridges. His assistants would looh
after the grading and culvert construc-
ton and see that athe plans and speci-
fcations are complied with and the
work properly done. .'he work to he
done according to classified specifics
tions by contract. There would be
the grader work, the scraper work, the
culvert work, the repair work. the
bridge work, and an organized system
: Of using the road drag all over the
county
Would Cost but Little.
"There would be comprehensive
J system of inspection both of new work
: and repairs necessary to be made. |
4 would have the plan conform as near
l ly as possible to the plans used in
building and maintaining railroads An
!. objection might be raised that when
: the roads are in bad condition that we
N1-N y,,.N
; pairs, I answer we are very slow now
: and with an intelligent system of in
t spection we would anticipate these
t conditions and make the repairs be-
s fore the conditions existed. Another
e objection might be that the expense
of supporting this commission would
n be a heavy drain on our road funds.
don't believe the expense would ex,
n coed 10 per cent or Is per cent and #
:. it would be 25 per cent it would be
!, money we'll spent, for I honestly be
;, lieve we are now paying over so pei
: cent, the worst kind of mismanagc
II ment.
1--WE did more work in our township
- last year than ever before under this
- law or any other and yet after a cars
full analysis Of the work I have demon
70 strated that the work cost, $500 more
u than it should or rs per cent of GU,
" tax. 1t is impossible under presen
conditions to handle the work intelli
lie gently and economically, the tax in on
IS township does not justify the neces
'e sary outlay to get the best results. B.
m making the county unit the worl
IT. would attain to such definite propo:
If tons that there would be continu
vs. GUS and intelligent supervision an
ST enough work to interest competent AM
ut responsible contractors, thereby plat
ing the whole system on permanen
and dependable basis
Advocates Business Plan.
t. There is in Iowa an annual e1
y. pense account of over six millions c
0. dollars. A corporation or an indivif
a l1al with an axnenSa account of tha