Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-02-08

failure in her extravaganza OF the
overly centralized plan Of building
roads wholly at state expense, while the
states Of Ohio. Michigan, California,
Washington, Oregon. Tennessee. Mis-
sissippt, Texas. North Carolina. Mis-
souri, Colorado, and Alabama have ac-
complished wonders In road building
with county bonds. And yet the people
OF New York last fall ratified second
bond Issue for fifty millions by a vote
Of two to one after having seen the
kind Of roads actually built with the
flrst bond issue If a state bond issue
should not be ratified we could still so
ahead as a majority Of the states are
now doing with our county bonds and II
the state bonds are issued the authority
to the counties to take on twenty year
obligations would permit them to obi-
gate themselves to pay back to the
1 state their portion of roads improved
with state money.
AS an illustration Of the practicability
Of leaving with the counties the right
to decide as to taxation may be cited
the experience Of Wisconsin which has
state aid offered to the counties from
a legislative appropriation. After one
years trial every county in the state
but three has already made application
for state aid in 1913 signifying it's will
! ingness to pay two-thirds Of the cost
! Of all state aided roads. Also may be
cited Michigan in which Wayne coun-
tvs sixty-five miles Of concrete pave
ments are being laid from county bond
funds with state aid Of only 10 per
cent.
| Our counties now can levy l mill for
road purposes. In Pennsylvania and
Ohio the limit is made ? mills in some
states 10 mills. Adopt mills in Iowa
thus providing for each county's share
Of a complete system OF permanent
roads without encroaching upon the
present county grading fund. The pur-
pose in providing for the transfer Of
bridge funds is that another five years
will see almost every bridge and cut-
vert in this state permanently con-
structed OF concrete after which there
will be surplus in the average bridge
fund. The bridge levy might be re-
duced and the road levy increased, OF
course but people are creatures OF
habit Having become accustomed to
the bridge levy it will seem much less
burdensome to let 1t run on and divert
the funds to permanent road work than
to reduce one levy and boost the other.
Tho Special Assessment District.
This is perhaps the most needed step
In road LEGISLATION IL Iowa 1t is the
authority under which the road booster
can act when his state seems deaf to
his demands. Under 1t the people Of
Sedalia. Mo-. this summer created a
district twelve miles square with their
town as q center and built stone roads
on every highway leadsMK out Of their
4 town .voS1ng 100000 bond issue. A
few. yeaJA ago businel Gmen's club in
IDennison. Tex. secured tie enactment
of a law providing forehe creation OF
special assessment road Improvement
districts and promptly ISSUED by vote
Of the district $25O.000 of bonds for
building stone roads,. This last sum-
mer alone fifty. elections Were held
under the Texas law inSth lrty three OF
! which the necessary, tNo-thitds; ma u
\ jority was received, and lnheaify all OF
which an actual majority was cast
Over three millions were anthorized to
be expended on the roads Counties
averaged from 5000, 900 t. 100000 each
\ The old stone roads ofs0hio and many
eastern states were built from special
district assessments, and II We had 1t
in Iowa all Of the big TOWNS could build
rock or paved roads Wills many Of the
! county seat towns WOULD become
centers Of local systems Of graveled
roads. Here we MISREPRESENTATION for
our taxation and the consent Of the
voters who are to be taxed. Furthera
more we have the towns aiding in rural
| road improveme sometimes to the
1 extent Of more than half the cost.
Provide for the special assessment
road district in Iowa as we have the
special assessment drainage district,
but let bare majority rule. Adopt the
Indiana plan Of not asse ssing land for
| road improvement which Hes more than
1 two miles distant from the road. Adopt
i the special benefit rule of the Indiana
road law and of our own street paving
law. of assessing the lands according
to their benefits as determined in an
| appraisal by board Of supervisors.
| If we can have county bonds in Iowa
and special assessment districts perma-
nent road building will go forward even
without state bonds. We can have a
| large amount of state aid from the
! auto tax, we can even add I mill
| state levy, and there are at least TWEEN
| ty-five large cities in this state which
would immediat ely take advantage of
| the special assessment district plan to
provide permanent roads in their vi
| cinity just as Sedalia and Detroit did
this year and Just as Milwaukee in
1! Wisconsin and thirty small towns in
| Texas are doing. The special assess
ment district prevails thruout most of
| the southern states but it has been
| put into r,Cst conspicuous service in
Texas and Missouri and in Ohio and
California in the north.
/ The Twenty Payment Plan.
have suggested twenty year bonds
because that period has been proved
| by experience to be within the life of a
| pavement. Rock macadam and gravel
| will need constant maintenance during
4 q twenty year period, but If maintained
the original cost can be fairly dis
tributed on the twenty payment plan.
| Any extension OF debt beyond the nor
| NAL life of the improvement In effect
unioads upon posterity burden for
| something which the present genera
/! ton has consumed. Already there Is a
storm Of public protest among en-
gineers and economists as to the fifty
! year bonds in New York. the complaint
being that no roads now being built
with that money are going, to last as
long as the debt. To borrow money
| with which to build a permanent pub
| lie Improvement and to pay 1t back in