The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1913-10-16
GOOD ROADS lN IOWA.

Editor Herald. / would like &c
call the attention of the readers OF
your paper to few OF the road prob
lens for the fall of the year.
Working toward our aim of making
| the highways of Iowa safe we have
taken UP with the several railroad
companies operating in the state the
making of safe crossings.
| The, railroad companies indicate a
Willingness to do their part, but the
part Of the railroads Is only a lesser
part the boards of supervisors, the
county engineers, the township trus-
tees and the public in general have a
greater part in this problem, the
boards of supervisors, engineers and
trustees have the duty OF making. the
entire approach to the railroad cross
| ing safe, while the railroad company
mas the duty of that part which is
in their right of way. and the owner
of the, land adjoining the right Of way
owes d duty to the public and the
railroad company to remove timber,
hedges, brush, weeds and all other
.obstructions that make the approach
to the railroad crossing dangerous,
and the public in general should fur
nish a public sentiment that Will see
that all these duties are performed.
There is no time of the year more
important than this for the repairing
of the highways, and the commission
recently ordered the county engineers
of the several counties to take up the
esponsibilities put upon them by the
new law for the repairing of the coun-
Ii. y S..l aaf IN an
force this order and If county high
ways are not repaired We would like
to have complaint made to us OF this
fact. s..at y, g- .F.- n.I. h.. r....
Newspapers of the state the last
few weeks have made complaints be-
cause the, county road systems have
not been dragged by. the boards of
supervisors this year.
The new law makes il the duty of
the boards of supervisors and the en-
gineers to contract for the dragging
of the county roads and see that drag
ging is done and in the communica.
ton spoken OF above to engineers we
have called their attention to the fact
they must make contracts for drag
sing the county roads and the roads
are 10 be dragged IN the fall and win
ter? There is no time of the year.
when dragging Is more important and
more effective. -'"'t p - . .
The commission hopes that public
sentiment viii help them get the couT-
ty ROADS repaired and dragged.
Under the new law the township
trustees have as great or greater duty
to drag the township roads as they
had under the old law.
The commission started out in May
10 make the bridges OF Iowa safe and
in this undertaking We have had the
of many boards OF super
yisors and most engineers and we
claim to have accomplished a great
zeal in this undertaking, and by the
time the contracts awarded are car
ried ont and the work undertaken is
completed there Will be more than
81, 100000 worth of safe new bridges
in I6wa, nenrly all of them permanent
bridges. But this task is only begun
aud 1T is time now for every one in
terested to plan work for next year.
TIE taxes available next year will
not make all the bridges the boards of
supervisors and the engineers might
wish to build and commercial clubs,
business men. organized farmers
Clubs individual good road boosters
should chip IN some extra money for
this great cause, anyway without the
cost OF any money you can say a good
word for that has been done this year
and give encouragement for doing
more next year.
The commission has good roads
takers and boosters OF character and
experience that are available for good
road speeches this winter without cost
% the community and II you wish TO
hold good roads meeting write our
Highway Engineer, Mr.. Thomas II.
Macdonald, at Ames for a speaker.
Your truly,
II. G. BEARD,
Member State Highway Com.