Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-11-25

receiving exhorbitant prices for con-
| crete bridge then the board Of super
visors must stand criticism for rush
ing in without the formality Of adver-
Using for competitive bids as required
by law. The facts are that as the use
of concrete Is In its infancy far see
ing contractors have been quick TO
jump in with patented formulae for tts
use whose principal purpose has been
to control monopoly on that KIND Oh
construction. This may or may not ne
true In bridge construction. That Will
be disclosed in the law suit but 1t has
become somewhat notorious In the
paving business. The Minneapolis
Journal this week is devottng 1uil
pages to an exposure of trust or
combination in creosoted blocks Tor
paving. Last summer the Chicago
newspapers were full of an exposure OF
a combination among paving brick
manufacturers. The Times Repuoli-
can recently exposed the exhorbitant
prices obtained by patented concrete
paving and the city engineer OF Cres-
ton last year exposed the same thinR
in patented bithulithic pavement with
the result that Manchester is buying
this year for s1.16 per yard Virtually
the same kind of pavement for which
! Grinnell paid s2.13 per yard the year
before. 1t is to be hoped that one
bridge man is armed with the facts as
to the other for it may result in cheap
err bridges forever afterwards.
When Mr.. Nickel. of Creston. joins
the ranks of merchants in Marshall
town there will be something doing in
the furniture line for he is q successful
merchant. He enjoyed the possession
of fine home in that city including a
block of ground and his furniture
stock there occupied the basement and
three floors of a store building. The
notable thing about it is that the clos
ing of saloons in Marshalltown has not
seemed to depress the future prospects
Of our city TO a wideawake merchant
from Creston.
And that reminds us. Councilman
Herman says that booze is running
freely here and that he can get all he
wants whereas Colonel Horton. once
commander of a regiment in the war
Of 81 and now commander of the SOL
diers' home, says that there are no
more old soldiers coming home, drunk
would make the most convincing i'm
preston upon the jury of public opin-
ion?
And IL it now requires five draws to
haul the meat in Marshalltown which
three drays hauled before the saloons
closed what must be the conclusion as
TO the effect upon women and children
- s, ~
even If there Is some doubt as to the
effect upon business"
1t is said that the express companies
are swamped. with booze hut not one
Of them is using any more wagons
than it did year ago and there was a
time when twenty-five saloons nearly
all had a wagon apiece to haul booze
in Marsha1ltoWn. Two OF them at least
must be hauling meat and the rest are
probably busy hauling groceries and
coal.
Considering the fact that business
generally thruout the country has been
so slow as to put factories in Mar
shalltown on part time with small
forces of workmen: that there was a
cessation III Quilting early III tuS
spring and that the Iowa Central shops
have been running light what must
we think OF the fact that with only
four months Of a dry town the savings
deposits in the associated banks show
an increase Of $4,000 over their state
ments for the month Of November of a
year ago? What class Of people put
money into savings bank? Did YOU
ever think of that?
IF the Marshalltown Club wants 70
perform a real public service, for the
convenience of shoppers who visit the
city from nearby points. it can do so
by taking UP with some one in author
ity the question Of proper lighting OF
both railway stations. The union sta
ton is equipped with sufficient lights
to afford passengers conveniences II
| the lights were used. Under present
practice. however, and regardless Of re-
quests for more lights from persons
who have business at the station. hut
very few are lighted, and the result is
passengers who are compelled to while
away their time waiting for ira aims
| and trains are sometimes late-mus,
content themselves with sitting in the
/ CARR. 1 he lllIle COulu DE spent NlOIt
probably in reading a newspaper oil
magazine. but reading is out of the
question. At the Great Western sta
| ton the interior lighting is insufficient
and about one person in either waiting
, room. providing he is directly un-
| der the light. is able to get any salts
| faction out of his newspaper. Anothe,
convenience that could he gained a
the union station by going after i
properly. is furnishing the mems wait
ing room with cuspidors. Men are in.
side the station now most of the time
while waiting for trains. They use
the floor when they should use spit
toons. for the reason that the latter are
not furnished. Rather than pay JAM.
tor for cleaning them, the railroad!
policy. or at least the local manage.
nent's policy. is to permit unsanitar,
conditions.
! TWENTIETH CENTURY CLUB.