Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-06-13
! LOCAL COMMENT


tLOCAL COMMENT !
Mr.. Charleston, of the high school,
an ardent naturalist, has caught many
squire in the act of robbing birds
nests and his observation confirms the
reports given by other less expert OBJ
servers to the effect that the birds are
being driven from our city by the in
creasing number of squirrels. The re-
| suit is that insect pests ore attacking
| the shade trees without restriction by
| the birds and the time has arrived
when our citizens must choose be-
| tween the squirrels and the birds and
the trees. If we continue to protect
and harbor the squirrels we will con-
| tinue to lose our birds and along with
them our trees. This newspaper COM
| mended the present ordinance protect
! ing the squirrels at the time 1t was
passed, believing at the time that we
were helping nature in her best work.
Now that II is apparent that both the
birds and the trees must be sacrificed
for the squirrels this newspaper would
welcome an opportunity 20 commend
the repeal Of the squirrel ordinance
and make squirrel pot pie free for all.
When trees that have taken more than
one mans lifetime to grow are to be
stripped of the protection the birds
give them and are left an easy prey to
the borers and insect enemies it is time
protection was given to the birds rath-
er than to the squirrels.
Those merchants who are enthus-
iastic for oiling Main street should
| first investigate a similar experience
at Cedar Rapids. 1t appears in the news
papers that the merchants there are
protesting against the use of oil for the
/ reason that it is tracked into the
stores. Oiling, doubtless, is practicable
but the Cedar Rapids difficulty would
suggest that it must be done with dis
erection on business streets where peo-
pie walk in the streets constantly.
The gift of $500 worth of cement is
now dangling before the eyes of this
county but it will require an invest
ment in road pavement to capture it.
The competition for this amount of ce-
and Benton counties which narrows
the contest in fact to Marshalltown
Tama and Belle PLANE for the require
ments are a maximum amount of con-
crete surface on the Lincoln Highway
to win the prize. If we should at
tempt mile east of town and anothe,
mile west it would cost approx
mately $4,000 in addition 10 the free
/,
spring $4,000 was raised by popular
; subscription to be spent along witt
$4,000 of county money on the Lincoln
Highway. Carroll county did almos
as we'll and last year both Boone ant
Story counties raised about $4,000 eacl
by popular subscription to go with ar
equal amount of county money in or.
der to obtain $4,000 Of federal ait
money in each county. The Marshall
town Club now has an opportunity t
, join with the board of supervisors ant
a put it up to the nearby property own
ers who will be most benefited tina
, the Lincoln Highway will be pave
I past their farms largely at public ex
pense il they will come across with
reasonable amount Of assistance. B.
using the city's portion Of the count
t road fund and assessing to adjacen
: lots the city council could connect thi
: Lincoln Highway paving with the cit
v paving and give us in fact three mile
or more of Lincoln Highway pawn
9 to enter in the contest for the 200
I, barrels of cement.
d The city Of Council Bluffs ha
a adopted plan for municipal dispose
II Of garbage which adds another munici
patty to those that can show Mar
le shalltown something she has not ye
learned. The plan is to sell tickets {
y the city clerks office like ice or mil
&c tickets good for one collection of gart
age each. The city buys special ste
~ garbage box to fit on any mans WACO
gear and teamsters are employed to q
the collecting with their own team
A. q. The garbage team might also be en-
- ployed for road dragging within tt
y, city.
Mt
A. However, our main roads leading
the pavements have been dragged in
be VERY satisfactory manner this year
l. John Mcmahon and his assistan
m Everybody agrees that we are startir
IT. out this year with our roads In tow
e. and outside of town in far better COZ
he dition than we have even enjoyed b.
c. fore.
If anybody doubts the need of pla!
grounds in this city let him 90 abo
town and search for vacant lot
space on on which youngsters can no
| Iys