Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-10-18
THEY HAVE ALL BEEN DRAGGED
FIVE YEARS FOR IS PER MILE
PER SEASON.
pRENTIss RANSOM WRITES
TO TELL HOW HE DOES III
Once Up and Once Back Drag Two
Miles in Two Hours at 50 Cents Per
Mile, and Experience Has Demon
strated That IS Per Season Per Mile
Will Do the Business.

Prentiss Ransom. road superintend-
emit Of Jackson township. Hardin coun-
ty, is the one man in al Iowa wis
knows how to use a King drag. Hf
drags every road in his township. six
ty miles of highway, every time Il
rains, and shortly after every STORE
every mile OF road il his township Is
made as smooth as a city pavement
King has i.umortalized the drag but
"Prent" Ransom is the only man who
has ever used II for complete and -L-
public service.
How does he do ii: Let him an
SWer.
Editor T.-R.. I enclose a list Of an
swers to your questions;
Eeach employe drags a station OF
about two miles.
We employ about thirty farmers
thruout the township as draggers.
We pay so cents per mile Tor drag
ging.
One round, UP and back, constitute
a mile of dragged road.
We drag all roads in the township
regularly after every bad storm. which,
only requires about rwo hours time
and in round numbers means sixty
miles Of dragged roads.
The average cost per mile the past
five years has been about IS per r,!e.
In townships where citiesi like Mar
shalltown are located the roads are
used from fence 70 fence. which would
necessitate two or three rounds with
the drag and I presume would cost
$40 to SIS per mile wear.
PRENTISS RANSOM.
Possibilities at Home.
The price in Jackson township Is
thus seen 70 DE Just as The T.-R has
estimated 1t, namely, 50 cents per hour
for a man and two teams. but Il seems
tina, once up and once back drags the
road In Jackson township. whereas the
T-R has always estimated on twice
I'D and twice back. However, whereas
the T.-R. has figured on twenty drag
gings per season. actual experience in
Jackson township for five years proves
that ten times per season Is al! that Is
needed.
Think Of It, One thousand dollars
of the Marshalltown Clubs money az
the Jackson township price would drag
200 miles Of road an entire season. Il
would drage every main highway lead
ing into this city for nine miles out
and 100 miles Of crossroads besides
l. would pay half the expense OF
ORA gging every mile Of road in Iowa
Taylor LeGrand Timber Creek and
Linn townships and IN The east halt
of Marietta and Washington town
ships.
Are we not chumps mutton heads
and monuments - stupidity II We ne
elect longer TO do IL
Such a district would Include al
points within seven miles u Marshall
town and most points wi,hia fourteen
miles
We've Got the Money Too.
Mr. F. L. Meeker, member Of the
special road fund committee OF tbs
club, points out that the money 70 drag
every road in every township is al
ready available If our road supervisors
would use Il as the "a X states that they
shall use 4. The law commands tha-
at least 40 per cent % he road fund
shall be spent Cor dragging roads a.
least half OF IL could be 50 used anG
leave enough for culverts and grading
Here Is the road levy actually paid
in 1909 with half esti-n ated as set aside
for dragging and the amount whicf
would have been needed 20 drag al
the roads in each township at s. PEI
mile for The season.