Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-06-20
ward. The more downward tho better
for the whole United States 30 far as
the imports with Canada are concern
HOT AIR AND ACCOMPLISHMENT.

HOT AIR AND ACCOM- llShMEkT.
Now that the autom obile season Ia at
It's height good roads enthusiasm among
autoists within the towns Is at high
pitch. Down at Cedar Rapids Billy"
Haskell, postmaster, president of the
commercial club, once manager for
Congressman Good and a member Of
the republican state central committee,
has organized a good roads bee in
which 1000 aristocrats will shovel dirt
day and will be represented by re-
serve force Of women bearing the lunch.
Way down In southern Iowa there
is great rivalry among the towns to at
tract auto tourist travel. Routes are
given names and advertised and special
pieces of road improved for advertising
purposes.
In fact good roads hot air is as
plentiful and as torrid just now as
the atmosphere which envelopes the
Iowa corn field in July. And it is all
wa va 'oAiAttA'ii'o' WV S'NAA ''A' 49,
fails to appeal to a practical man as
serious accomplishment. 1t does get
results in spots
However. the new compulsory drag
gng law is quietly doing the real bust
ness wherever it is enforced. It is
commonplace now to find sixty miles
Of road improved in a single township
in two hours time. All that is needed
is enforcement of the statute to ac
complish this feat in every township
in every county in the state. Superficial
ter of obeying or of enforcing the road
law.
Permanent road building must come
next. 1t will never be actually ac
compIished until We can create special
assessment road districts on exactly
the same plan as special assessment
drainage districts are now created
Last year Calhoun county alone volun-
tarily taxed its land for half million
dollars for drainage work and spent for
this improvement twice as much as
was raised in that county for all of its
county. township, road and school pur-
poses They did it because it paid to
do it, When people can realize that a
paved street on the special assessment
district bond issue plan is possible
turnout our country highways for less
than 500 per annum TO each quarter
section of land abutting such pave
ment, the era Of permanent roads will
have arrived.
Before that time, however must come
the leveling Of grades. At present We
drag up hill and down hill and make
a smooth road but loads are laborious-
~ tugged up and down the same hills
that obstructed the traffic of our
grandfathers What we should do now
is 10 go before our county supervisors
and demand a complete county en-
cheering survey establishing easy
grades on all rural highways and pre-
pairing prof!es of the cuts and fills for
all roads in six-mile sections within
each township. When this engineer
ing work is done and the profies are
on file the county board. township
trustees and good roads clubs in town
can cooperate In the building Of per-
! manent grades on one piece of road at
a time Ten miles of such work out
of each town in a single year would
miles Of permanent grades ought to
have been built in the vicinity Of each
town in a county. From 300 TO 400
miles Of such work in an entire county
| in FIVE wears would soon reduce most
! Of the hilliest roads TO straight away
race courses equal in every respect to
an improved city street.
| Then, as matter Of course. the rural
| paved road would follow. In the eastern
states the grading and paving are COM
ing all at once by means of immense
/ bond issues but this scares a farmer.
Let's have the engineers profles made
now. Automobile clubs or boards Of
supervisors can pay for this Then we
! will have something to work to. Every
! time one billy road is brought TO grade
| the appetite for others will have been
excited and every dollar spent will be
/ of value In the ultimate investment.
/