Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-03-10
ROAD SUPERVISORS
RESENT CRITICISMS
SPEAKERS AT OPENING SESSION
CHILLED TOWNSHIP TRUSTEES
AND TODAY THOSE OFFICIALS
TOOK FLOOR.

i
noon over the resolutions at the state
good roads convention, but It Is prob
able the resolution endorsing the river
to river road, increased power for the
state highway commission and an en-.
gineer for every county will be adopt>.
ed. This morning the township trus-
tees, resenting the criticism Of nearly
every speaker yesterday. rose and
took charge OF the convention and
scored their critics. The organ:z cation
Is to be made permanent with
branch in every county.
The poor road trustees and supervis-
ors of Iowa We're placed on the grill al
tho state good roads convention yester-
day afternoon and last evening and
forced to call for mercy.
From the opening Of the convention
at the Auditorium the guardians OF the
state roads In the east came in for
criticism. Speaker after speaker hit
the present road system OF the state
and incidentally burned the road
supervisors #
| The system Of road building now in
4 vogue was branded as out OF date and
not sufficient. "A new method must be
devised, 1t was pointed out, whereby
good dirt roads may be made and
maintained In this state.
To secure this 1t was the con-
sensus Of opinion that action by tho
general assembly must be had. To Sc
cure this the convention will draw UP
a bill through committee of delegates
from each OF the congressional dis
tricts of the state and present 1t to the
general assembly.
Governor Carroll advocated the ap-
pointment OF this committee In the aft
ernoon, and Lafayette Young Sr.. per-
manent chairman OF the convention,
appointed 1t forthwith.
Men Who Draft Bill. s
It is composed OF the following
members:
First district, ]. N. Snooks: Second
district. Mr.. Raymond: Third district,
]. w. Jarnigan, Cedar Falls: Fourth
district, Senator Henry L. Adams.
West Union; Fifth district. w. B.
Arney, Marshalltown; Sixth district,
F. "A. Nimocks, Ottumwa: Seventh
district j. s. Bellamy. Knoxv1lle:I
Eighth district, George 8. Allyn. Mount
Ayr; Ninth district, John r. Foster.
Guthrie Center; Tenth district, Henry
Haag Jefferson; Eleventh district.
Senator N. Balkema, Sioux Center.
In addition to this the committee has
also the task Of perfecting perma4
nent organization throughout the stats.
The committee will follow out the sug.
gestion OF Governor Carroll in this ret
spect, to-wit, the organization OF every
county with vice president OF tho
general state organization In each.
The big speech of the convention
and the one awaited with most 1n>
terest was delivered by Governor Car-
roll in the evening, at the joint session
of the good roads and threshermen's
convention. He merely outlined hid
ideas In the afternoon talk.
At the outset Of his speech In tha
evening the governor took occasion ia
| dismiss the general impression
throughout the state that he is favor.
ing cutting down OF the width Of the
roads. He said this impression was
gained through speech he made on
conservation in which he spoke Of the
vast waste OF land along the side OF
public highways which could be used
as farm land.
II have never said," he declared,
IAuL LhA ~ VI AL ~ AOOS WOO WhAS
enough for the roads Of the state"
He then proceeded to show that II
a half rod was taken from each side
Of the highways OF the state that 200,-
900 acres of now wasted land could bs
turned into tillable land and made
productive.
Don't Need Law
"But we don't need a state law to
! fix the width Of roads," he said in dis.
missing the subject. "The width OF
the roads should be determined by lo-
cal officials and by local conditions.
In some localities wide road Is I'M
Iperative and in other localities 1t is
not needed at all and much narrower
road suffices. However, don't under.
stand me as advocating narrower
| roads,"
The governor then took up the ques-
tion Of what kind Of roads should bo
built in this state. He admitted that
stone and gravel roads makes fine high
Continued on Page 81