Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-01-05
EXPERIENCED ENGINEERS
REQUIRED TO GET REsuLTs
Dean Marsten says Farmers Should
Stick 70 Their Farms and Permit
Men Of. Expsrsines 70 Construct
itiishways-Apt Illustration Of Re-
quiremsnts Necessary.


roads in Iowa." declared Dean A. Mars
ton. chairman Of the state highway
commission in q notable address before
a thousand Iowa farmers. county engi-
neers. and other at the good roads
mass meeting Of short course students
at Iowa State college Saturday even
ing.
I'm the past six months work has
been begun by the county road officials
Of the state under the supervision of
the commission that will remove the
stigma from this state of having the
worst roads in the union. and will put
it in the first rank Of those states
which are proceeding in systematic
way to build permanent culverts, bridg-
es, and highways" said he. "Good
roads in owa are a fact now. and Will
be a bigger fact by the end Of 1914"
It is the business of the state high
way commission to build roads and
bridges and not to debate the merits
or. dement's Of the new road law. de-
clared Mr.. Marston. in commenting
on certain challenges to public debate
that had been received by the commits
sion. I'VE are engineers, not debaters,
said he. "And we ask that the work
done under the new law be Judged by
the results accomplished. If after q
fair trial, and sufficient time to do con-
structive work, definite results In
building good roads in Iowa can not be
found, then we have failed as engi-
neers, and the law should be repealed
or amended"
Striking illustrations.
That few people in Iowa have even
a faint conception of the magnitude OF
the engineering problems in making
roads in Iowa, was illustrated by Mr..
Marston in a striking comparison. It
took ten years to draw up the plans,
secure the finances and build the great
Keokuk dam, which cost $4,000. 600.
said he. In Iowa there are 100000
miles Of roads. In one county alone
5000 bridges and culverts must be
built or rebuilt. In the next ten years
out of the road tax lev1es on the pres.
emit basis, the state Of Iowa will spend
500, 00O, 900 dollars. more than four
times the cost Of the Keoluk dam, In
building roads and bridges. Definite
plans for every mile Of road. with
grades and profile maps, as well as de-
finite plans for countless bridges and
culverts must be made. Materials must
be specified and tested. stresses figured.
all Of the work subjected to rigorous
and accurate records OF ev.
cry item Of material and Of every dol.
lar spent must be kept. All this Is
engineering work, and demands engi-
neering accuracy and skill Of highest
grade.
Farmers Not Road Builders.
ST own a farm in Iowa, and hire
an Iowa farmer to run II, not az ens, :,
neer." said Mr.. Marston. with aA
due regard to the intelligence OF inc
Iowa farmer, whether he is road
trustee or county supervisor unless no
has had engineering training. he 10 not
competent to build the roads OF Iowa.
It Is Just as logical for him 10 ooctos
his own or his neighbors 1amily, OF
to appear in the courts as g. lawyer as
to think he knows all there IS 10 kno"
about road and bridge building
The efficient expenditure OF pubic
funds to get permanent results IS the
whole purpose Of the new road law, ana
Of the highway commission IN carrnns
out the law, said Mr.. Marston. onoes =.
the old system $500 road trustees ana
county supervisors had to do with the
spending OF the tax money In piece
meal fashion.
zone road superintendent told me
that for thirty-five years every spring
he had spent public money to NIL up a
certain mud hole on his road until this
year when proper drainage and prop
er grade were put in.' said MT Mar
ston. "Natually some of these 8.5Oo
road officials have objected to being In
terfered with. But in county after
county the supervisors and road trus-
tees are working In splendid harmony
with the commission, and those coun-
ties are getting permanent results from
their road money"
Dsnouness Trouble Makers.
The fact that certain disgruntled
road officials were making use OF the
average increase OF So Per cent IL the
taxes on farm lands next year as po-
litical capital against the new .oad
law and the state highway commits
sion was vigorously denounced by Mr..
Marston.
1.-THE highway commission had no
more to do with the increase in taxes
than a threshing machine with the size
OF the wheat CROP" said he. Every
county board had 1t within its power to
lower and equalize the tax levy In the
face Of the Increased valuation placed
upon property in this state. If the
county boards failed to lower the levy,
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