The Oskaloosa herald., 1912-02-01
GOOD ROADS TALK
BEFORE TRUSTEES
Hon. Late Young and Postmaster
Nimncks Address Meeting.
Mr.. YOUNG'S HOBBY FOR YEARS
Forenoon is Given to Distribution of
a Digest Of the Road Laws, a
Reading of the Same and Their
Discussion by Mr.. Nimoeks.

Tuesday, January 80, will be looked
back upon in the future as notable
date in the development of good
roads in Mahaska county. 1t was
the annual meeting of the trustees
of the county called together under
the law by the board of supervisors.
and in addition to the discussion by
local men and officials, addresses
were had from Hon. Lafayette Young
of Des Moines and Frank c. Nimocks,
postmaster of Ottumwa.
1t was expected that Mr.. Young
would be present to address the
meeting in the morning, but he was
unable to reach Oskaloosa until af-
ternoon. He spoke at Griswold Mon
day night, and could not get here on
time. There was no lack of inter
est or enthusiasm at the morning
meeting, however, as Mr.. Nimocks
was equal to the occasion in every
way Mr.. Nimocks has devoted much
time to the good roads proposition
for the past five years, and the re-
suits of his efforts are evident in the
Improvement that has been made on
the highways of Wapello county.
Mr.. Nimocks has also made a study
of the Iowa laws and of the best
methods in road work In this con
nection he has issued a digest OF
the Iowa law in the form OF cate
chism. Questions likely to be asked
by trustees and others are used, and
the answers given have the sanction
of the attorney general. Much time
at the morning session was taken
up in the reading and discussion of
this pamphlet, and the information
therein contained, and the details
brought out in the discussions proved
interesting and valuable to all con
Cerned
The morning meeting was called to
order by the chairman of the board
of supervisors, MI. w. F. McVay,
who briefly stated the objects of the
assembly, and Immediately turned
the occasion over to Mr.. NimOcks and
to the official business at hand. About
two hundred people, most of them
from the country, attended the morn
ing session, and all were glad to
have been there.
The Afternoon Meeting.
AS Mr.. Young did not arrive until
nearly three o'clock, Mr.. Nimocks
was again called upon, and gave fur
Their interesting discussion of the
subject at hand. Mr.. Young upon
his arrival was given an enthusiastic
reception, and he was at once intro |
duced to the meeting and given the |
floor After few informal but prime |
remarks, Mr.. Young got into the
subject of good roads which has been |
his hobby for a number OF years.
FaVors Dirt Roads.
The road improvements brought !
out the experiences of Mr.. Young in |
his efforts to demonstrate that a |
good dirt road is the best road that |
can be built for the amount that |
Iowans have TO spend on roads, and !
that their real worth is not known .
until possessed for a time and made
use vi. The history Of the river ~
river road that was made possible
largely by the efforts OF the speaker
who sank 81 300 Of his own money in
the cause, sent out his own solicitors
and at his own cost had a portion of
the road marked was told by the
speaker. He said. however, that he
haI f.Fo -,
the work began to assume an air of
business and the road has already
begun to be of worth to the towns
along the line.
Told of Roads.
He predicted for the River to River
road. the Blue Grass road and other
roads across the state that in 1915
the travel over these roads would (
make a continuous chain of automO
biles on their way to the Panama ex
position, and that the people in these
cars would be rich with money TO
burn and willing to burn it. He cited
An instance in a small town along the
River to River road where the travel
along the route by autOists greatly
the hotel business. He pic,
tured the good road work and the bad
or slipshod method of doing the work
and told of the DAYS of old when he
road conventions over the
state. These he said would be at.
tended by the makers of every
known road-making and grading de-
vice and there would be talk and
some more talk and finally when no
one could see the way out, a candi.
date for office would arise to the oc-
casiOn aud tell the meeting that if
hey sent him to congress he would
see that the United States govern,
nent would build the road for they
lsed il to deliver the rural mail. This
Ie said would satisfy the people pres
snt and they went home feeling the
-oad question was settled. The folly
If this was shown when the speaker
old that the miles of dirt roads in the
United States totals 2,200,00e. He
lrged the county officials and the
armers TO keep after the dirt road
saying that the dirt
Dad is the best road to be had with |
he taxes we have to spend on them.
We Need to Know Ourselves.
The Iowans who leave Iowa for