Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-10-25

ton Of road affairs and that which may
or may not be fully responsible. Legis-
!ators last winter urged the new law,
for one thing. that the people might
get away from the old system Of letting
the supervisors and trustees use the
| road and bridge funds pretty much as
they desire.
In connection with road matters, and
especially AS to political or non-politi-
cal management of road funds, some
Interesting information has come from
New York, partly in connection with
the Sulzel incident. When Sulzer be-
came governor he appointed one John
n. Carlisle to a place on the state
highway commission. He appears to
have started out by a revolution in
the methods of the commission. He
found that various employees and heads
Of departments Of the commission had
private lock boxes at the postoffice
and he ordered the keys all turned in
and ali the mail to come to the head
office. Then he outsted a lot of old
employees. Later he went to Buffalo
to look over roads in the western part
of the state He was banQuetted and /
there was q road talk. He told what
incidentally it got into the papers as
to what had not been done. Business
men of Buffalo were quoted as to the
roadside paved roads-which had
been built. These improved reads"
We're described as lin a wretched cen ;
dition." many of them as ''impa ssiple" ,
and the declaration made that vast re- |
pairs must be made. There had been !
deteriora ton in the roads constructed. /!
The time for experimentation in |
good roads passed in this state when /
the first s5o.000000 was spent" said /!
the president of the Buffalo .Automo- !:
bile Club. 1T ought not to cost more !
than $50 100000 to learn how TO build |
a good road"
The new commission was quoted as
saying that 90 per cent OF the peoples |
money had been wasted. But he also |
declared that the second borrowing of !
$50, 000.0 coo was not going TO be enough !
10 do the work in hand but would fall !
short some sS2000.000. 1t is recalled |
that the New York system OF borrow |
ing an immense sum If money and !
placing II at once in the hands of |
state political commission was strongly I
urged upon the Thirty-fifth general i
assembly by some of those who OPP
pOSSu litS present. IOWA 40 W. L CO i4AO |
feeling in New York is that millions |
have been literally wasted because oe /
going too hastily into the paving OF !
county roads and without the neces-
sary preliminary preparation and by
having the work done thru strictly
political state commission.
The Iowa plan of approaching the
road problem. as indicated by the leg
siature last winter and as fully eX-
planned many times by the very able
and conscientious legislators who
framed the law. was to provide first for
the survey and grading of the roads.
then for the construction of permanent
bridges, and for such road work as
may be done with view TO perma-
nency and a fnality in the road work.
This is 10 be followed. as soon as the
people are ready for it and as soon as
the highways have the foundation pre-
pared. by careful and deliberate steps
looking 20 surfac:ng Of all the main
county roads. This preliminary work
was entrusted to non-partisan bust
ness board having authority to work
thru competent engineers and exercis-
ing a directory power over all the local
boards. Under this arrangement there
could be no enormous waste as IN New
York because OF haste in starting the ,
work before II is known just what
each community can do in road build |
ing, nor any incompetency because OF !
the loading of commissions with po-
liticaI strikers.
That the system is not at fault If
there is failure to get results in this f.,
or that county will be shown to the
next legislature by the fact that in
certain other counties the very best
results are to be had. For instance,
there are certain counties in north
eastern Iowa and in the central part
Of the state. and a few in the south,
where all the boards and all the tax
payers are cooperating together
splendidly and they are getting excel
lent results thru this new law. There
are counties so 1t is stated, where in
half dozen years they are going to
have their roads all in fine shape, all
the bridges made permanent and some
paving done. But in other counties,
where there is still chafng because the
peculiar perquisites and privileges OF
the boards and county officers have
been taken away, where they will still
be many years hence complaining
about the unwisdom of the law.
When the legislature was in session
there was some throwing Of dust in the
eyes Of legislators by clamor that the
bridge lobby was siding against the
supervisors and fighting for the new
law. Even now there is OCCASIONALLY
reference TO the bridge lobby and sIE-
gestion it Is pleased with the new law.
All of which may be true, but it is a
fact that the bridge builders have been
compelled now for the first time to get
down to a fair business basis and TO
engage in bridge contracting on the
square. With the new law passed much
Of the evil of the old system as TO
bridge contracts.