The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1914-09-03
Iowa Supervisors Amaze All Al
Story of Road Progress.
Ames, Iowa, August, 1914.

Ames, Iowa, August, 1914.
The Iowa supervisors at the Cedar
Rapids Convention last week told an
amazing story of road building pro-
gress under the new law. For one
entire day on the roll call of the
ninety-nine Iowa counties, supervisor
after supervisor took the floor and
told of the work his county was do
ing. AS county after county piled
up it's detailed story of bridges and
culverts built and the total grew
from hundreds to thousands, with
hills cut down, valleys filled and dan
gerous turns and crossings wiped
out, hundreds of miles of road crown
ed and shaped up with tractor outfits,
old timers in the road building bus
mess openly expressed their astonish-
ment Members of tho Highway
Commission and engineers who have
travelled over much of the state and
who realized better than any one
else, the extent of the road building
work in Iowa this year, were amazed
as the story unfolded. They had
seen it all from time to time, little
here and little there, but here was
a story of work actually done which
took an entire day and hundred
men, merely skimming the larger
details, to tell it. Not a man who
participated in that days session will
ever forget it. Whatever opposition
to the new road measure, if any, as
the convention opened, disappeared
entirely as the story of the splendid
work being done under the new law
developed. The adjustment of the
resolution of necessity was the only
feature where change was suggested.
Every other suggestion was for adj
ditions to the authority of the super
visors so that land might be con-
demned for widening, Strengthening
and making safes the roadway and
for power to cut trees, brush and
weeds that interfere with drainage,
safety end maintenance OF the high
ways The supervisors unanimously
approved the division of the roads
and road work into county and town
ship system, the uniform standards
of road and bridge construction and
commended the Highway Commission
for the work it is doing. The reso-
buttons adopted were as follows:
''That we approve the general
working features of the new road
law particularly those providing 1or
a uniform system of highways and
for uniform standard of bridges
and road construction end we COM |,
mend the state highway commission
for the work it is doing and the as
sistance it is giving.
"That the body condemn the law
requiring the resolution of necessity
as a needless expenditure of public
funds and request the next legislature
of Iowa to promptly repeal the same.
THAT the Board of Supervisors be
given the simple, speedy and ade-
quate method for condemning private
land for work necessary for the,
and widening over and
above statuary width and cutting OF
dangerous corners of all highways.
THAT where the property owners
abutt upon the county and township
road system fail or neglect to cut the
weeds, brush and timber as required
by law, the board of supervisors and
township trustees be given the au-
thority to cut same after giving ten
days, notice In writing to the owners
md assess the cost of same to said Il
lbutting property owners.
.sThat the board Of supervisors bel