Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1913-03-05
GOOD ROADS IN IOWA.
What a Few of the State Papers
Think of the Proposed Plan
for Permanent Roads.

Marshalltown Times-Republican
The people of the state of Minneso-
ia at their general election this fall
amended their state constitution pro-
viding for a l mill levy for perman-
ent state roads and the state was
given the authority to anticipate this
levy for ten years with bond issue.
The state will thus raise SIG 100000
and will pay half the cost, the coun-
ties one-fourth and the benefited
property one-fourth so that there will
be actually expended in an undevel-
oped farming state like Minnesota
S32,000,000 for rural pavements in
the next few years. This will
connect every county seat town in the
developed portion of the state south
OF a point one hundred miles north
of st. Paul with every other county
seat town in that part of the state
with paved roads. And why not?
This state and county levy for COM
plete system of paved rural roads
combined will be only 1-2 mills
and what is that? 1t is about half
or one-third as much as our present
county bridge fund levies. 1t is less
than the public library fund in the
( n
levy, from one-half to one-third as
much as the average city levy for
paving street intersections alone, and
about the same as the levy for road
dragging authorized by the last leg
islature. If the people of Iowa or
Minnesota could build pavements
connecting every county seat with ev
cry other county seat at a taxation
cost of about what they are now pay
ing for road dragging there would be
none but dead ones to protest the
plan. People in town who vote
Per cent tax to aid interurbans thus
gladly get 10 mill annual levy and
when they find that they can get
pavements leading twenty-five miles
ont in four directions from town for
one-sixth the tax levy cost of interur-
bans there will be no kick from the
fellows in town. The combined town
snip and county road levies in Iowa
now average three times as much as
it would cost to pay from every
county seat town to every other
county seat town in the state, and
what do we have to show for it?
Atlantic Telegraph: The discussion
of the 100000 permanent road
fNnd is going on in all parts of the
state and Is meeting with almost uni
versal favor. The people Of Iowa are
not parsimonious when it comes to
spending money for good roads
permanent roads.
Iowa City Citizen: The Citizen
sees no reason why Iowa should not
incur a bonded debt for permanent
roads, providing thoroughly tested
Plan for building them is adopted.
II would be folly to spend millions in
any hap-hazard way, but it would be
sensible to issue bonds to some reas-
enable amount and levy l mill tax
TO pay the interest and principal in a
period of years, if by so doing we can
tablish great permanent road sys-
= m within five years, instead OF wait
ing for another quarter of century
for them.
Cedar Falls Record: The Record
believes that the legislature is justi-
fed in adopting any method for rails
ing the necessary funds for the per-
manent road program, that is con-
sistent with sound judgment and that
will bring the desired result. What
we want is permanent highways.
Enough money has been wasted upon
the highways of the state within the
past ten years to have put through
this program and leave a margin be-
sides. If it is necessary to use the au-
tomobile tax money for the purpose
of financing the enterprise, by all
means let this be done. The tax col
lected upon automobiles in Iowa every
year amounts to more than million
G011 he nhiQ0fc
is any attempt to do the work by
piecemeal. A mile here and mile
there without getting anywhere. BY
the time the other mile is added the
first will be worn out. States not
nearly so rich as Iowa have bonded
and built permanent highways and
have been repaid many times over
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