Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-08-17
Local Comment

Is 8
Observation-Disclosures
1t is to be hoped that the merchants
who annually put up elaborate OK
| hibits Of their wares at the county fail
Will respond to the public invitation
issued by the fair association to meet
at the Marshalltown Club Monday
morning to devise plan for an exhi
bition hall at the fair grounds. This
building has long been needed and if
put up on broad plans could be the CEN
ter of activity at the fair Suppose
that an extensive rest room were a
feature Of it. Suppose that sanitary
closets and lavatories could be pro-
vided. Then suppose that twenty or
more Of the best mercantile exhibits
on the grounds were contained in one
big building. There would not be a
place on the grounds SO generally fire.
quented The public phone would be
there and everybody would meet every
body else "at the Exhibition Hall"
Stock at SO per share could be sold.
Some Of it would be purchased by pub
lie spirited citizens who had nothing
to exhibit. The fair association could
take some Of it and merchants could
take the rest. Exhibition space could
then be rented so IS to pay fair re-
turn on the investment or merchants
could be required to pay in fixed
amount on the investment for each ex-
hibit space reserved and the Exhibition
Hall Company could resell this stock
when a member wished to withdraw.
q
It is up to the Marshalltown Club
now to make good on the inspection Of
roads. Let the report be prepared with
care and spare neither praise nor cen
sure. Good roads are merely matters
Of public desire If the public wants
good roads enough to work for them
the public will get them. incidentally
to drag road on Sunday morning
would be considered as good christian
ity as to shovel snow from the side
walk in town on a Sabbath morning.
To find no one objecting to paving
assessments speaks volumes for the
general public satisfaction with the
work Of the present council in paving
our streets. 1t has required years of
turmoil and some litigation to work out
an equitable adjustment Of paving bur-
dens but the relief from part OF the
cost to corner lots and total cost of
about half what paving once cost in
Marshalltown has brought OUT people
to point at which most everybody
wants his street paved. To realize
how much we have progressed in this
matter 1t should be understood that
many other cities in this state are still
paying 81 per yard for paving and
almost all of them are assessing the
whole burden to the lot owner regard
less Of the law.
However. this council still has prob
lens to work out in the use Of concrete
for paving There have appeared a few
cracks In the paving laid last year just
as has appeared in concrete paving in
other cities More cement is being
used in the base this year and this
may eliminate some of the trouble. The
consulting engineer Of the Universal
Portland Cement Company was in the
city this week giving the council the
benefit Of his experience having per-
sonally examined about every piece of
concrete paving that has ever been laid
in the United States and Canada. He
says that the cracks which have APP
reared here will NOT iniure the paving
except to mar it's appearance. He re-
ports that by reinforcing concrete
paving with wire fencing at an extra
cost Of Z cents per yard most all Of this
cracking can be eliminated. He says
that the New York park board are now
laying concrete paving in Central Park
with very thin coating Of bituminous
asphalt and sand on top to give the
paving dark appearance and to cover
from view any cracks that might come
in the surface. However, he has found
a great majority Of cities laying con-
crete paving without any cracks at all
and that is what the council and city
engineer here are going to try for.
A new bank building on a promi-
nent business corner is in the nature OF
a public improvement It is to be
hoped that the Iowa Savings Bank
crowd are optimists and will build fol-
the future Property owners on that
end Of the street and the public gen.
handsome going up on that corner.
In planning for the new school build
ing on West Main street the school
board should set aside few hundred
dollars with which to fix up the play
grounds. A ball ground, turning poles
swings, horizontal bars, even tennis
| courts are properly part Of intelli-
gent and modern school building.
AN EXCELLENT NIGHTcAP
Horsford's Acid Phosphate
Half teaspoonful of Horsford's
Acid Phosphate In half a glass Of wa