Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-12-05
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A GOOD ROADS PLAN.

B. j. Lambert, professor OF struc-
tural engineering at the state uni
versity, suggests for, the consideration
Of the legislature d program of good
roads legislation which he believes
will secure some long awaited re-
suits" The plan he suggests calls for
the creating of a commission COM
posed of the governor of the state, the
auditor, the attorney general, the dean
Of engineering at Iowa university and
the dean of engineering at Ames. he
would have this commission appoint a
state engineer. who should nave
charge of the roads, bridges and pub
lie drainage Of the state. The COM
mission, together with the state en-
gineer, also would form an examining
board for the securing CT county en-
gineers by competitive examination.
The county engineer in each county
of the state he would have appointed
by civil service examination and his
duties would be the care of the ROADS,
BRIDGES and drainage of his county,
subject to the state engineer. Prof.
Lambert gives the following outline OF
the duties of a county engineer under
the plan he proposes: .2.', .. ......-
The county engineer should be re-
CURED to report monthly to the state
engineer all work Of any public char
acter performed in his county. He
should in all cases give unit costs or
the various items, such as the cost per
cubic yard for concrete, and also the
cost of it's components. cement. sand
and stone or gravel. He should give
the cost of steel and lumber and piles,
the cost of moving dirt. dragging
roads, digging bitches, in fact, every
thing with which he has to do should
be definitely itemized and reported
monthly to the state engineer, the
state engineer would then take this
data from the ninety-nine counties and
tabulate and print 1t in pamphlet
form at least every three months. This
pamphlet should be generally dis
tributeG to the different officials in.
terested. and also to the newspapers
of the state.
(Does it not seem reasonable to
suppose that the result would be a
friendly rivalry between the counties,
and an endeavor to secure the best
possible results?)
P AL improvements, SuCu do 1OOvo
mentioned. should be placed entirely
in the hands of the county engineer,
and he alone should be held RESPONSE
BILE. He should be subject to removal
by the commission and the state en-
gineer. The state engineer and the
county engineers should be paid from
a state fund, the salaries of the coun-
ty engineers being fixed by the COM
mission and the state engineer In &C
cordance with the requirements of the
case
To raise this state fund Prof. Lam
bert would combine with the present
automobile tax state tax Of one or
two mills and a county tax Of two or
three mills. the latter to be used only
for the building and upkeep Of
permanent roads. He would provide
for road dragging by special county
tax and for general road building and
repair in each township, township
tax, determined by the requirements
of each township as the county en-
gineer may find necessary.
There will naturally be objection
to this program from some bridge
companies and supervisors, who think
their field of endeavor might be cur
tailed by the appointment of super
visory engineers, but" says Prof. Lam
bert, ut has been my experience that
there is often need of such super
vision" ....e.. ~
The general discussion of the good
roads question in connection with the
coming session of the legislature gives
-,
to be given more consideration by the
next assembly than previously. There
seems to be general agreement that
we are not getting full returns from
the money we now are investing in
roads.