Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-04-18
!: LOCAL COMMENT

Marshalltown school bonds bearing
AZ per cent interest on their face are
worth more than par. That is the bid.
The interest cost to the school dtstr1ct
tax payers will be a shade less than
Az per cent. A 100000 school build
ing will accommodate 300 children per
annum. That is. an investment of $500
for each child builds its school house
but the tax payer does not put in the
500. People who deposit their money
In savings blanks down east build our
school houses for us for 1t rs the savings
banks bonds. All the tax payer pays Is
w per cent interest per annum on $lOo
per kid each year for the new building
and yet there are those who kick on
the expense of a new school house or
play grounds because they need the
money with which to buy gasoline.
They are like the father who kicked
about buying IAN extra bed-stead fol
his growing family.
And the family is growing at an
alarming rate. Superintendent Palmer
says that he has 500 more enrolled in
all the schools now than the record for
April Of last year. In other words the
capacity of the new Franklin school
built last year is spoken p for already.
Among the improvements of semi
public character the promise of an art1-
fetal ice plant will be welcomed gen.
orally Artificial ice is luxury which
many a family wishes to enjoy and a
cold storage plant in connection mas
become almost a commercial necessity
in this city. There is economy possible
in distributing artificial ice and natural
ice from a single set of wagons ana
people will not object to generous
monopoly but the price must be kept
at reasonable figure and the service
up to competitive standards.
The CITY councils decision to pub
lish in pamphlet form the reports OF
city officers as to the affairs OF the
public revenues and property is to be
commended We can't have too mucn
information as to what has been done
with the money. We are paying IN
100000 annually and we are entitled
to know what the councilmen trustees
have done with so large sum.
The people on north Second street
ought to have their paving. They nave
been petitioning for it for so many
years that it is time their prayers were
answered.
1t is time the city council carried out
it's agreement with the county super
visors to complete the boulevard street
improvement around the public square.
The one street will not hold the autos
now and within month Main street
will be torn up so that the cars can
not be left standing there. AS the
summer advances there will be new
crop Of cars to accommodate and there
will be less street area to serve them.
A trip to four-mile hill on the Lin
coin Highway west to see the big
steam shovel at wark gives one VIVID
imitation Of work on the Panama
canal. Two bites of the shovel FOR a
big wagon load moves the dirt at
rapid pace Four mile hill will nave
been reduced to a "Reminiscences in
very few days and the shovel VIII ne
crying for more hills to conquer II
costs plenty of money to move dirt
with 1t but it in turn moves plenty
of dirt, toof There will yet be time for
| it to sublet some township work pe-
fore fall. The regret Is that we nave
not provided long time bond issues IN
this state for distributing the COST
Of hill cutting over the successive gen
erations of tax payers and travellers
who are to enjoy the easy grade thus
established. For seventy years now
the people of this vicinity have pulled
their loads over that bill because no
body had money enough to cut 1t down
| Now the tax payers of this year alone
are paying for the entire expense while
the neople of the next 100 or 500 years
will enjoy an easy grade and good
road at no expense to themselves. In.
stead Of costing one set Of men s3'oo'
cash down it ought to cost the Ia,
PAYERS Of >eac oh successive year apou'
500 for thirty years plus interest,"
At that rate we could AFFORD TO cu1
down more than one hill in an ole
mans lifetime.