Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1913-04-19
IIIQ5IIV
IMPROVEMENT
TAXPAYERS URGE GOOD ROADS
Representatives of Both Town and
Country Vote In Favor Of Tax
to Create State Fund.

There never has been in the past
so much discomfort over the discom
fort of travelling over mud roads as
there is at the present time. While 1t
1t well known that the making of hard
roads in communities where there Is
no hard material must involve an
enormous expense. yet more and more
taxpayers are expressing a willing
ness to be taxed for permanent roads.
This was plainly indicated at road
conference held In Des Moines, Ia,
where 200 delegates composed OF
typical representatives of both town
and country voted unanimously In
favor of a one-mill tax to create
state aid fund, says the Iowa Home
steader. In the past the best that
Iowa has been able to do along this
line has been to support non-salaried
highway commission with but little
power and with, practically no money
to work with.
This same conference endorsed al
most unanimously the establishment
of permanent highway commission
with ample power. In addition rec
ommendation was made to the legisla-
ture to submit the question of bond
ing the state for good roads purposes
to the people at the next general elec'
tion.
We appreciate the fact that this
program is not endorsed by all the
people and it Is just possible that at
the present time it may not meet with
the endorsement of even a majority.
but the rapidly changing feeling indi-
Gates that the time will soon come
when all states of the corn belt will
undertake the construction of per-
manent roads. This being the case the
question of administration in the i'm
portant one to beside. In this matter
there are established precedents
which may be safely followed and
these precedents in every case tend
In greater or less degree to centrali.
zation. In other words. wherever good
roads have been economically built in
this country they have been. built
under the general supervision of the
state under plan of coordination
with the county and with the town.
ship. No plan will every work out
practically in the corn belt that does
not in large way leave with the To-
cality the authority to say when they
are willing to bear the expense OF
good roads When 1t is decided to in
cur the expense of building per
manent roads the township, county and
state will as units find themselves
compelled through the operation of
sound business principle to adopt
plans and specifications prepared by
the best available talent, whether this
be furnished by the nation or by the
state.
The most urgent need at the pres
ent time in all states of the corn belt
is the classification of highways in or
der that the question for all time may
be settled as to what constitutes main
roads and which are the secondary
highways This recommendation was
made to the legislature at the Iowa
road conference referred to. When
this plan is once carried out We will
then know definitely the order In
which our roads should be permanent
ly improved 1t is a wellknown fact
that 80 per cent of the rural traffice is
carried on over 10 per cent of the
highways and certainly the first move
should be to improve this ten per cent
In the meantime we are strongly In
favor OF keeping the secondary roads
in the best possible condition by the
construction of suitable culverts
wherever they are needed and by the
sensible and compulsory use Of the
drag There will always be large and
important township and county duties
so that no man need have fear that
the adoption of permenent road ad
ministration will in any way interfere
with the principle of local govern.
ment.