Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-03-26
WORK TOGETHER
F0RBETTER ROADS
|cENTER TOWNSHIP TRUSTEES
MADE MEMBERS OF CONNER
cIAL CLUB COMMITTEE.
STATUTE S Ho W N

|
Assembly Promotes Dragging og
Rural Thoroughfares-Sets
| the Compensation.
The trustees of Center township anC
| the members of the good roads com
mittee of the Ottumwa Commercial
association have joined hands and vii
work together to make the roads il
Ottumwa and Center township, the
! best highways in the state. There
was some difference between the tW;
committees some time ago, Gus John
son, H. T. Michaels and George Lot
ridge the township trustees having
served notice on Frank A. Nimocks
chairman of the good roads committee
to discontinue the work. Now how
ever, the township trustees are mem
bers Of the committee and all viii
work as one for better highways.
Favors Good Roads.
The general assembly at the last
session took an advanced step for bet
ter roads in the rural districts by re-
pealing a section of the road law and
supplementing a better statute. One
section provides that the township
trustees can award contracs for drag
ging tn, country highways, paying the
operator fifty cents mile. 1t also
states that all main travelled roads and
mail routes can be dragged at times
in the judgment of the township trus'
tees that it will be convenient and
further that such possible dragging be
done following transforms when the
earth on the road surface Is the same
consistency of mortar.
The Iowa Statute.
The full text of the statute cover
ing the working of highways as passed
by the last general assembly Is as fol-
lows:
Working Of Highways.
An act to repeal sections fifteen
hundred and seventy-b G570-b) and
fifteen hundred and seventy-c 157O-c)
of the supplement to the code, 1907,
and to enact a substitute therefore re-
lating to the working of highways and
providing penalties for injury to such
highways or the work done thereon.
Be it enacted by the General Assem-
bly, of the State of Iowa.
Section 1. Repeal-Roads dragged
Compensation. That the law as it
appears in sections fifteen hundred
and seventy-b (157O-b) and fifteen hun
dred and seventy-c (1570-c) Of the SUD-
plement to the code, 1907, be and the
same is hereby repealed and the fol-
lowing enacted in lieu thereof:
Contract the Work.
"That township trustees shall have
all the main travelled roads, including
mail routes, in their townships drag
ged at such time as in their Judg-
ment is most beneficial, and they shall
contract at their April meeting to
have a given piece of road dragged at
a rate not to exceed fifty cents per
mile for each mile travelled in drag
ging. In choice of persons to do the
work or in making contracts to DO
such work. preference shall be given,
other things being equal, to the oc-
cupants Of the land AUDITING the
road or adjacent thereto at the point
where the work is to be done, but OF
more than one occupant, the trustees
may decide to which preference shall
be given. So far as possible such drag
ging shall be done following rain.
SCOrHS WuSu IllS Cc1l Ill oA IAN ASN~A
surface is in the consistency OF NOR
tar or in condition to accomplish the
best results. Nothing herein contain
ed shall prohibit township trustees
from causing other than main travelled
roads in their townships to be drag
ged. 10 compensation shall be paid to
any persons for dragging roads unless
the same be authorized by the town
shin trustees and in the manner dt.
rected by them and other work than
dragging may be done when 1t can &C
complish better results: not less than
forty per cent of the road tax cole Ct
ed under the road levy made by the
township trustees, on land AUDITING
the road or adjacent thereto shall be
worked on said road If needed on the
same.
City Must Drag Roads.
Section 2-"Roads within corporate
limits.-It shall be the duty of the city
council of cities and incorporated
towns to cause the main Travelled
roads within the corporate limits lead.
ing into the city or town to be drag.
ged and so far as practicable and pos
S1Dlc, luG pIoNlSiOuS VI IAio oSS cAAe-AA
be applicable.
Section 3.-"Contracts cancelled,
when.-The trustees may at any time,
when their contract with the parties
for dragging the road has not been
properly complied with, or when the
work is not done in satisfactory
manner, cancel said contract with the
party or parties.
Section 4.-"Loose earth, weeds or
sod.-It shall be unlawful for any per-
son or persons to leave after eradins,
loose earth, weeds or sod in the high
ways in such manner as to interfere
with safe travel.
Section 5-"Roads, how travelled aft,
er dragging-It shall be unlawful for
any person or persons to drive; ride
or cause to be driven, a vehicle OF any
description in or upon the south hall
of an east and west roadway or east
half If a north and south highway att