Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-05-05
EXPERTS SHOULD
BUILD THE ROADS
FRED JONES OF RURAL NO. z
GIVES VIEWS ON MAKING OF
GOOD RURAL HIGHWAYS
RESPONDS TO LETTER

Highway Commission Asked Him
For Remarks, Which He
Made at State Meet.
The building Of good roads should
be done by county superintendent
who is an experienced good roads
builder and not by a civil engineer
who never handled scraper or drove
team Of horses except In front Of a
a we'll known Wapello county man
who resides south OF the city, and
who has been asked by Thomas Nc
Donald of the Iowa State Highway
commission to give his ideas on good
road making. Mr.. Jones was one of the
speakers at the Good Roads conven-
ton held in Des Moines in March at
the call of Governor Carroll. Mr..
Jones remarks were so interesting
tumwan for the remarks. Mr.. Jones
views on good roads. as sent to Mr..
Mcdonald. follow:
Thomas H. Mcdonald. Dear Sir:
Yours of the 25th at hand, asking mo
to write the remarks I made at Des
Moines. That would be impossible, as
do not remember what l said there.
However, 1 will try and give you my
views in brief as best I can. In the
first place, we have not enough money
to work the roads pronerly. Second,
we do not employ skilled labor. Third,
we should have county superintend-
ent fshighways. Fourth, system Of
dragging our roads
II think we should have tax of at
least SO per mile for dragging roads.
The work to be let by contract or to
strictly reliable parties, by the day but
preferably to be done by the mile. In
sections where the present tax is suf-
fcient there could be that much set
aside for that purpose. Where the land
is broken and therefore of low value
and the roads harder to keep In repair,
the trustees should have the right to
SO per mile for dragging roads.
Skilled Labor Needed.
Our much abused trustees do not
employ skilled labor. How can they?
Can we employ skilled labor for two
trustees are not to blame. If we should
have skilled labor. and I think we
should our legislators should provide
a way to pay that labor, and think
the trustees would get it. The road
gets 81 per day when other
labor was from IS cents to $1.25. Now
other labor has advanced to SIZE and
$3.50 but the superintendent still gets
$500. Is it not time for a change, If We
expect to get skilled labor?
I'VE shoull have a county superin-
tendent. he being in charge Of all the
roads in the county. He should be the
best practical road builder that could
be obtained and a man Of actual ex-
perience in road building or in other
words the same as the roadmaster on
the railroad, who has worked up from
the pick and shovel and actually
knows the work. He will make sue
cess. He knows how much road teams
should grade in a day and how many
yards Of dirt team can move in
given distance, and how much work
q gang Of men can do. Why? Because
ne has done it himself. On the other
hand put a civil engineer in charge
that never moved a shovel full of dirt,
never loaded scraper, never ran
grader, never drove a team except to
4 buggy and it is different to follow
Which man is the most capa-
BILE Of doing the work successfully?
we need the engineer very
much and + think he is one Of the
most essential factors in road con-
we have our county engin-
Ger and all work in his line should be
given him, such as taking levels on
hill roads and making profiles to be
worked as soon as possible, and any
thing pertaining to engineering. Thus
he will have plenty to keep him busy.
Points out Mistake.
"To put civil engineer to superin-
tend several gangs Of construction
to see that they do the most
and best work for the money spent,
hiplr CT S1,rorirfon6inu and
are separate professions.
One is to get the most efficient work
and the most done for the money
spent, while the other is to give levels
TO- work to, and see they are worked
according to levels. AS for planning
and deciding what should be done, the
engineer and the
board are the parties to deter
mine, but, it will be found that the
he has looked things over, will esti-
mate the cost closer t>an the other
fellows.
Good surfaced roads are cheaper to
the public than our present condition
Of highways. If you travel ten miles
in any direction. you will find about
forty farms abutting the highway. The
cost of dragging or keeping good
surface on these ten miles Of road
arm. That would drag it ten or twelve
lines and that is sufficient.
Shows ADVANTAGES.
I'm the spring rbusy season the
'armer does his going to town or mar
1eting when 1t is too wet to work in
he fields If he has a well surfaced
Dad, he can go the next day after
leavy rain and not get his carriage or
buggy muddy, thereby saving the cost
# washing, which is fifty cents at
east. This will occur five or six times
| year making his expense $3.50 to
800. Besides mud is the worst enemy
o paint we have to contend with On
IN average it ruins the paint on rig
n about five years. costing him So for
paint, to say nothing Of breakage, up
,ets and falling into ruts and extra
wear and tear from driving over rough
'oads. The pleasure of riding over a
smooth road Is also missing. You will
Jay the mud hole is factor to con-
end with. Now if you keep the roads
surfaced the trustees will have plenty
# time and money to dry every mud
hole in the county in one or two years,
md when they are graded up they
will be a thing Of the past. We have
90 many men who will spend two
lays notifying the trustees about a
place in the road when they could