Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-01-02
NEW ROAD ERA DAwNs.

W. w uSHO 6llN 0HVNSs
The good roads convention held in
Des MONIES last week turned out to be
a genuine public movement devoid OF
politics and the result was the most
sensible list of declarations which have
even come from a good roads conven-
ton. 1t was declared to be the sense
of the road funds be entrusted 10 the
boards of supervisors and that the
dragging OF the roads be made COM
pulsory. If the Legislature of Iowa
would adopt merely the one suggestion
OF making the dragging Of every dirt
road in the state compulsory the state
of Iowa would have accomplished more
for good roads at one stroke than has
been accomplished in the past decade.
The law now provides that at least
20 per cent Of the road fund of each
township be expended for dragging and
there is hardly township in the state
in which the present road fund is not
plenty large enough to put every mile
of country highway under contract to
the 40 per cent in cost. But the trou-
bic is that the 40 per cent law is not
obeyed. What we need is an awaken
irg OF county attorneys to the neces-
sity Of jogging the memories Of the
| township road trustees.
There is a road trustee in Hardin
county who has made himself famous
by reason Of his system Of dragging
his roads every time it rains. He con.
tracts his roads to farmers at so cents
per mile and Ave years experience has
per season. In this state the road fund
in townships having sixty miles Of
highway will exceed $1,000 per annum
and average close to $500 while 5000
would drag every mile every time it
rains and the law now provides that 40
per cent or $500 to $500 must be go
spent. Iowa itself would become a
state famed from ocean 10 ocean if this
law were enforced.
But dragging. while the first aid to
the injured in all cases, can never be-
come a permanent cure. There are at
least five months in the year OF con-
tinual freezing and thawng in which
Iowa has no roads at ali and can not
have until perlna nent hard roads are
built. 1t is proposed that an annual
tax OF $50 be levied upon automobiles
and the money devoted to road building
under state supervision. Ten years ago
we had no automobiles. Today we
have $4,000 in Iowa. Ten years from
now we will have 100000 of them. The
automobile tax would return half q
| million this next year and probably
| two millions annually in ten years from
now. Suppose we averaged million a
year and prorated the state road fund
| to the several counties for permanent
| road building wherever the county
| would raise an equal amount for the
same purpose. We would have $4,000
per annum going into permanent hard
roads In every county. In ten years
this would build forty miles OF concrete
pavements 81 100 miles of graveled
highways. And In the second decade 1t
would do twice as much more.
Once having built a concrete pave
ment nine feet wide over a country
road we would all want one. It was
this way with the automobile and we
are finding ways to get what we want.
BY forming special assessment road
| Improvement districts to include town
property as well and twenty year coun
ty bond issues we could build more OF
these concrete roads at q cost not to
exceed 800 per annum to a quarter
section Of $3.50 land abutting such q
road ana 1t . cost Of much less to al
ether farms in the district ana at = cost
in town approximately the usual in
terurban tag levied by vote. Il . new