Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-06-20
THE BANKER AND GOOD ROADS.

III HE DAMMIT AINO SSSS
Important among the suD1ects us
cussed at the Iowa Bankers conven-
ton at Clinton the early part OF TINS
month was the subject The BANKER
and Good Roads," by D. w. Norris, IT.
Of Marshalltown. Mr.. Norris q
ored to impress upon the bankers MS
belief that good roads in Iowa are up
to the bankers for their financing is all
that remains to be done.
The ~advisability of improved DADS
is past the stage where it can be COM
batted. Everyone that has given the
subject any thought, agrees that the
highways should be made passable at
all times Of the year for heavy tratnc.
There Is no longer any doubt but that
the condition of the roads aids in max
ing or withholding prosperity. Inc
argument right now is whether the I'M
proved roads should be permanent or
merely dirt roads made passable. Inc
sentiment throughout the state is
gradually swinging to the permanent
roads plan and that Is fitting and
proper for the experiences of other and
older states and nations has shown
conclusively that in the long u the
initially more expensive but perma-
nent road is preferable and pays better
returns on the money invested and
actually costs less.
OF course even the proponents CT
permanent roads are not agreed on the
style of road that is most desirable.
There are gravel roads, crushed rock,
asphalt, brick and cement and doubt
less others. All are doubtless good
and probably would pay for themselves
many times over. The material to be
used, however, Is not the stumbling
block: 1t Is getting the money to pay
for the improvement. Mr.. Norris made
s,me pointed remarks on this phase of
the situation when talking to the bank
ers. Extracts of his speech follow:
And here l am to discuss with you
q problem of greater economic import
ance tosthe prosperity and welfare OF
this state than your bank reserve as
ISOLATION. 1t is the problem of f1nanc-
ing the peoples transportation system.
Every banker is a booster for good
roads. He knows that when roads can
be travelled every day in the year
farms are moved closer to the towns,
mothers closer to the doctor and chill
dren closer to the schools. He has
heard that it costs more to move
freight from the farm to the railroad
than it does to move grain from New
York to Liverpool; that it costs three
times as much per tor mile on the best
dirt road in Iowa, as on a stone road
in France, or ten times as much during
the six winter months of the year. The
banker knows these things but he does
not know that the road problem in
Iowa Is a banking problem today. ]
am here to tell you, gentlemen, that
the road problem in this state is up to
the bankers of this state. 1t has got
ten past the engineers, past the boost
ers and the good roads clubs and Is
nothing but a problem in finance. II
IS up to the men to whom all men
must go whenever any great enterprise
Is projected.
''The state of Iowa is spending ter
millions of dollars per annum upon hel
dirt roads and bridges and she can
hardly show a mile of hard surfaced
road within her border, while the state
of Ohio on no larger expenditure Of
tax money has practically every main
travelled country road paved or sur
faced with stone and gravel. More
than half the states in the union have
more miles of improved road than o
own state, and some of them have ter
times as many. Third in total mileage
we stand twe~nty-seventh in, miles o.
improved road. OF the ten states
spending about the same amount Of