Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-03-11
REPRESENTATIVE BROckWAY
WOULD NOT HAVE IOWA
ADOPT SUCH A LAW
NOT PROGRESSIVE.
indianapolis Man Says State Lacks
Progressiveness in Being Too
Well Satisfied; Good Roads
Help the Farmers.

dress before the POLK county GO0u
Roads association convention Repre-
sentative James Brockway explained
the bill now under consideration in
the legislature providing for the crea-
ton of state highway commission.
He pointed out it's salient features and
declared that if the bill as it now
stands was passed that it would form
a foundation for the working out Of a
satisfactory permanent road plan for
the state of Iowa.
Mr.. Brockway voiced his disapproval
of plan to give the highway COM
mission the power to handle funds. He
asserted it would result in its men,
bers going into partnership with GER
tain counties Of the state and ignoring
the rest. .-
"I say it would be an absolute
calamity to transfer Minnesota's high
way commission plan into Iowa" he
told his auditors. minnesota raises
money for road purposes as a part of
it's state funds, in conjunction with a
one mill tax. The Minnesota highway
commission has right to spend this
fund in whatever manner it sees fit.
If money for road purposes is to be
raised by taxation, it Is my opinion
that each county should be entitled to
that fund In exactly the same proper
ton as it has paid into it. Minnesota
can spend three times any county's
share in one county. Minnesota has at
the present time a bill before its gen
eral assembly which corrects that very
conditional makes the divisions
specific.
Would Cause Unpopularlty.
ITO transplant the Minnesota law
into Iowa and transfer funds through
a state highway commission would
make the cause of good roads so un-
popular and make the state highway
commission SO unpopular that it would
be useless and would furnish a set
back, at least for a number of years,
to the cause Of good roads.
There Is no newspaper nor any as
sociation in Iowa that has monopoly
on the good roads movement. The
thirty-fifth general assembly is just as
anxious as anyone in Iowa to produce
the very best Soad law possible" ,s"~
Regarding the one mill tax and
surfacing proposition, Mr.. Brockway
told his audience that the. legislature
expected to bring out both bills.
II do not believe in smothering
legislation. Such legislation as these
bills provide and which have attracted
wide attention are entitled to be voted
upon. These measures will be sub
mitted in all sincerity in the hope Of
perfecting the best workable plan for
road improvement possible"
Lack Progressiveness.
/Iowsns fail to take advantage of
their opportunities and one of the.
strongest evidences is the lack of pro-
gressives in permanent road building,
according to M. B. McNab, Of Indian
apolis, who visited the Des Moines
auto show. Mr.. McNab declares that
no other state can as we'll afford per-
manent roads as Iowa and no other
commonwealth needs improved high
ways any more than Iowa does.
The decrease in population in the
state of Iowa during the last decade is
due to a certain extent to the lack Of
good roads, says Mr.. McNab. He de-
clares that good roads make farm life
worth living and bad roads have the
opposite effect. He also says that Iowa
should appreciate more what she real
ly possesses and let the rest of The
world know about 1t.
sIowa is one of the greatest states
in the union" said Mr.. McNab. "If I
were to criticise, should say that the
people Of Iowa are too we'll satisfied.
The state is the richest in the union
and the people are resting on their
laurels. Unless they awaken to their
opportunities and take advantage Of
them, they will not make the progress
that should be achieved in SO rich a
state.
Iowa, with her wealth, should have
permanent roads. No other state can
SO we'll afford them and no other state
needs them to any greater extent.
Good roads help the farmer more than
the city man. They provide for the
farmer a means of hauling his crops
to market at any time when he can
get the highest prices Permanent
roads make farm life worth living.
Good roads and plenty of publicity to
make not only the people outside the
state, but Iowans as well, realize what
the state really has, will prevent a
decrease in population in the Hawkeye