The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1914-03-12
COUNTY ROAD SYSTEM.

Board of Supervisors and Count,
Engineer will Push the Road
Work the Coming Year.
The board of supervisors and the
county engineer are going to make
a determined effort to comply with
the provisions of the new road law
this year, and in order to do so they
have asked the cooperation of the
township trustees, clerks. and road
superintendents. They have adopted
the plan of having the township road
superintendent paid partly by the
township and partly by the county.
They feel that this plan will result
in saving of considerable money
from the fact that the superintendent
can have the culvert repair work in
view when doing township work and
wise versa. Tho board has fixed on
the sum of $12 per mile for each mile
of township road. The trustees will
have the say as to what part of this
sum will be used for culverts and
what part used for repairs of small
wooden structures. The board has
fixed the price for work at 20 cents
per hour for single man and 40 cents
per hous for man and team.
County engineer Frank Mallette
has kindly given us the following
outline as to how the county road
system is to be worked this year:
The County Road System COM
prises 155 u miles of road.
This is to be taken care of by the
revenue derived from the automo-
biles, thus: Last year the automo-
biles brought into Decatur county
$5,706 and this year we expect ST.
500.
We expect to expend on this sys-
tenn an average of about $50 per
mile for it's entire length. We will
have in the neighborhood of fifteen
county road superintendent to look
after this road. We have tried in all
cases to get men who are directly
interested in tho road work and who
could and would cooperate with us
in the making of better roads.
These road superintendent viii
look after the grading of the road
in preparation for dragging, as we'll
as the dragging itself and the repair
of the wooden bridges and keeping
approaches to bridges smooth. For
this work if the superintendent does
the work himself he is to receive
same compensation that he would
have to pay others to do same work.
If superintendent does not do the
work himself he hires it done and
has the supervision over it and re-
ceives for such service 20 cent per
hour for time. For any mileage OF
.said system the superintendent is-
not allowed to spend over an average
Of $50 per mile. II 1t is necessary to
have some few corrugated tubes to
take care Of small drainage areas
temporarily, these arc to be taken
care of out of the $50 limit also.
A great portion of the dragging
is now contracted for at the rate of
$40 per mile for year or until the
first of January, 1915.
Concrete work and heavy grading
come over and above this limit.
Contracts for steel bridges, for
bridge lumber, reinforcing bars for
concrete work, have all been let by
bids and not as heretofore.
Last fall we contracted with the
A. E. Shorthin Co. of Des Moines,
for 3s5erfoot steel spans and 1-SO
foot span, all riveted pony trusses
and designed to carry a heavy trac-
ton engine and concrete floor.
The so foot span is to go over
Long Creek above DeKalb on a pro-
posed new road. One so foot span
goes over Little River on the Can
non Ball, another goes on the Corn
Belt. west of Leroy near the Aida
Roe farm and the other will go on
what we call the Griffith cut-on,
along the railroad, between Davis
City and Lamont on the Interstate
and Waubonsie Trails.
The Tacoma Lumber Co., OF Ia
coma, Washington, received contract
for bridge lumber of year Of 1915 at
an average price of $3.50 instead OF
about thirty odd dollars per thousand
as at some previous times.
Our reinforcing bars were bought
in a car load shipment from the
Monmouth Bridge Co. of Monmouth,
Illinois, as they were low bidders.
Before we are permitted to begin
construction on any concrete cul-
verts, we are required to file with
the auditor plans for same giving
estimated cost, drainage area and To-
cation. After the construction, are
required to file actual cost sheets,
showing itemized expenditures and
to whom paid. These are to be
found in auditors Office and are open
to public inspection at all times. For
any new work on which the estimat-
ed cost is $500 or over, resolu-
ton OF necessity is adopted and pub
lished, in order to give the public
notice and IL they think such expen-
diture is not necessary, a chance to
make a kick at, time named in reso-
luton.
II work is estimated to cost $1,000
or over, it must be advertised for
sealed bids and If bids are thought to
be too high, all can be rejected and
same put in by day labor If done
under the lowest bid received.
1t is quite probable that a plant
for the manufacture of reinforced
concrete pipe for culverts will be es-,
tablished in Leon in the near future.
These pipes are now being made in
one or two counties in the state at