The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1914-03-13

othc'c bhdl our ,SOuhty NSuiu htcp
about three forces busy for four or
six months during this year. Place
the one force at Mankato. the other
at Good Thunder TO take care ex-
olusively OF the Ellwell road which
will require much attention this
spring. and the third say at Maple
ton to take care OF all state road
work done around Mapleton, Amboy
and in the southern section OF the
county.
Effect on 1914 Taxes.
This Is the time OF the year when
some OF our taxes are due and per-.
haps IL is well that we briefly con-
slider the effect of the Dunn law on
our 1914 taxes. Taxes not only in
Blue Earth county but in every other
county in Minnesota, and every state
in the union are high, perhaps high
er than ever before. This is due
partly to increased valuation. partly
to Increased expense In operating
and extending public institutions,
and partly due to new legislation. Let
us figure out how the Dunn law ef.
fects our taxes in Blue Earth county.
We have the dragging tax which is
new, one mill We have the state
road and bridge fund which was for.
merely one quarter of a mill, now
one mill. The county road and bridge
tax which formerly averaged about
two mills. this year two and one-half
mills, and the town road tax (esti-
mated average) three mills. making
a total of seven and one half mills.
THE average assessed valuation OF
improved farms In Blue Earth county
Is about 500 per acre or $4,000 for a
quarter section. A seven and one
half mill tax on $4,000 amounts to
s24 on a quarter section. Prior to the
passage of the Dunn law the state
road and bridge tax was one quarter
mill. The county tax averaging two
mills, and the town road tax aver
aging three mills, making a total Of
five and one quarter mills, or $3.50
, on a quarter section, as against SEA
making an, increase of $3.50 on each
quarter. -. ..,-
Give the Dunn Law 4 Good Test.
"a great deal of hard work and
time was spent by Mr.. Dunn. by the
highway commission, and by the at
torney generals office in framing up
this SO called Dunn bill, and what
ever may be its good or bad points,
| and II has both, let US try II out this
year. The old saying is, The proof Of
the pudding is the eating thereof
Let us this year, so to speak, swal-
low the Dunn law 'eoyer and ALL and
let those who are obliged to con-
: struet roads, and work under the
operation of this law make a memoir
andum Of such portions as are weak,
defective Jor Unsatisfactory. and then
when the legislature meets again next
winter, let. us Introduce such amend
ments whereby we can supply the
weak planks with sound ones, and the
poor and Questionable features with
better and. more agreeable ones.
Above all let US endeavor to coop
crate with, one another in the con-
struction Of. our roads, this year. Let
us go about our orki in a business
like manners, whatever we do let US
do 1t well, let US build roads that be-
gin somewhere, that lead somewhere
! and that end somewhere; let us see
that for every dollar that we con-
tract. we receive one hundred cents
worth of improvement on our roads,
and with the vast amount OF money
available for road purposes this year,
! and which amount will increase year
by year as our assessed valuations
are annually increasing, we will,
within the next FIVE years have all
our main roads we'll graveled and
graded. and within ten years we
will have every road In Blue Earth
county permanent well improved
J highway HiuCh lnOic tuibht bc Sdiu
upon this subject, but ! picked out
only such sections and provisions of
the Dunn law that, thought might
/ be of the greatest benefit to those
interested in the construction and
maintenance of our roads" .
q. r. MeGreaor Spoke. ~.
At the meeting of the Medo Farm
ers' club, which was held in the
Medo town hall last evening, Presi-
dent Strobel presented b. F. Nc.
Gregor. the banker. as man TO
whom much of the credit for good
road work In and about Mapleton
/ was due, especially the concrete
paving that had been accomplished
( In the village during the past year.
Mr.. McGregor gave figures as TO
! the cost of hauling over good and
poor roads. What he desired most
/ TO impress upon his hearers was
that ten per cent of the roads carry
ninety per cent OF the traffic, and
that II the main highways were con
structed OF permanent material, all
would be materially benefited. The
real question, he said, was not "Can
! we afford to build such highways?'