Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-11-21
Looker-On In Iona

Clarion, Nov. 2l.-The town of Bel
ncnd will soon have a garage, owned
by Martin Lewis, which is larger than
many cities have the sidewalks, made
of cement blocks. enclose space
; 44X100 feet, which is something of a
building under one roof. Cement floors
viii cover the entire space.
Belmond probably has the first
poured" reinforced cement building III
Iowa with cement roof. floors and
stairways. 1t is absolutely fire proof
and is leased to Uncle Sam for post
office building. E. NJ. Sheffield. the
owner and builder, admits this build
ing cost twice as much if built as or
binary store buildings are, but deter
mined to have a fire proof building
that was really fire proof. 1t is two
stories high 25x60, thirty five feet high
above the sidewalk. The plans We're
furnished by a firm that deals in REIN
forced material, and 1t is questionable
if the elements CT fire, heat, water or
freezing will ever destroy it. An or
binary earthquake would not cause il
to collapse or crumbie. The Uniter
States government takes ten year
lease.
And right here IS good place to
suggest that every school building
hereafter TO be erected in Iowa should
be built as Is the postoffice building of
Belmond. Surprising that such build
ing cost twice as much as the ordi-
nary school house. The safety of chill
dren is not to be compared with the
cost of building, especially one built
by the joint tax money of the COM
munity. Some go farther and claim
our churches, public halls, theaters, no.
tells and all buildings the public are
forced to use and occupy should be
constructed on these absolute fire
safety plans. Good, but suppose we
encourage the school house plan for
a starter?
The town Of Meservey after a disas-
trous fire has nearly finished a $4,000
waterworks system. For that money
eight blocks will have water mains and
hydrants. The system is that Of d.
rect pressure, two big iron reservoirs
under ground near the well and in the
center of the business district, holding
water enough to prevent another big
fire. Another improvement in Meser-
vey is the First Reformed church
building at an outlay OF about $4,000.
At the risk Of becoming tiresome
once more the apple situation in Iowa
will be referred to. Last week in
Meservey the writer paid 10 cents for
three eating apples. In BOWS the
next day there was seen a sign, go
cents a Dozen in a basket of ordinary
Jonathan apples. Four weeks ago the
writer saw in Marshall county at
least fifty bushels of Wealthy and
other varieties of fall apples rotting on
the ground and on the trees in one or
chard. a month later apples from
Ohio, Michigan. and New York are re-
tailed in many towns in Iowa at so
cents a peck. Now the writer knows
that if we had a well organized fruit
growers association in Iowa, this con-
dtion of affairs could not exist. Good,
sound. we'll packed Wealthy and other
varieties Of fall apples will keep and
be merchantable stock until Thanks
giving, and if each apple was wrapped
in paper and packed in boxes would be
good sellers for even the Christmas
weeks And about this time we read
of 10000 barrels Of apples being frozen
On the trees in southwestern Iowa.
| Several years ago, in an Iowa town
near the Missouri line the writer was
offered 1900 barrels of sound stock fall
apples for what the barrels cost-40
applescents each. This year Jonathan
apples in one county retailing for 30
/ cents dozen and not a hundred miles
/ away can not be sold for over 75 cents
u bushel.