Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-04-06
a ROAD LAW AT WORK,

Men who are investing money in
Texas land in order TO get rich quick
from the rapid rise in values should
listen to a story of Texas progress
which contains a moral for home APP
plication. The Times Republican has
been frequently ridiculed for proposing
special road Improvement districts for
bond issues and rural pavements but
down in Texas where they have such
a law and have some of the pavemen.s
they find that in spite of the tax as
easements land values jump so rapidly
that more miles Of rural pavements
are demanded by the land owners who
pay the taxes.
The Houston Post of April says
editorially of the roads built under this
aaw:
"A pioneer in the good roads move
ment in this state Harris county con-
tinues to demonstrate her faith in the
value of such Improvements by going
ahead with the work of extending the
excellent system whose ultimate goal
is the complete gridironing of the
county with permanently paved thor
oughfares as rapidly as judicious
financing viii permit. TO this end the
commissioners court on Thursday au-
1horized the paving with shell and
gravel OF seventy-two miles Of road
distributed tfruout the entire county.
within the next twelve months, to be
paid for out Of the recent bond issue
of 100000
1.-THE new paverents Will increase
the cOuntys paved road mileage TO
about 800 miles, giving Harris county
more miles of paved roadway than any
other county in the state. This is a
record to be proud of, and it is a factor
that is contributing no little TO the
marvellous growth of the city of Hous-
ton and of the smaller towns and to
the rapid development of Harris coun-
ty as a whole The schedule adopted
by the court is a continuation of a
systematic plan 10 build trunk roads
to the county line in every direction,
supplemented by cross connections
thru the various centers of population
and activity in tile county. Under this
schedule several of the roads already
well advanced in that direction will be
completed to the county line. while
there will be a further extension of i'm
portant cross connections.
while it costs something to build
good roads il is an undisputed fact
that the enhancement of land values
thereby stimulated soon offsets in the
way of increased tax returns the cost of
such improvements. and as 10 the in
creased tax upon the individual prop
erty holder, the greatly enhanced value
Of his holdings compensates him many
times over for any Inconvenience he
may suffer thru such increased taxa
ton. This is amply shown in this
county by the phenomenal increase in
both city and country land values
within recent years, much of which in
rrease must be attributed to the steady
extension of our system of paved roads.
Moreover, one of the first questions
asked by prospective investors from
the outside is regarding a county's sys-
TEN of roads. With such investors the
answer to this question IS g, inder tn
che character of the county's citizen
ship, and is a potential factor in de-
termining his investment. Indeed, II
has almost come TO be proverD that
9udicious investors. seek progressive
eommunities in which to place their In
sestments, aud the mere progress dis