Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-11-30
BRocKwAY's PRsDicAMESr.

ohOSHUh
Mr.. Brockway. OF Louisa county.
owner o. much land and a big farmer
down in that far away southeast corner
G. his state. IVES two years ago chair
man OF the house committee in the
Iowa legislature which enacted the
presen, county road law Brockwsy
created a county road system Of $1,000
rni,ss Of main Travelled roads in this
state. he pu, ar engineer on The Job
in each Of ninety nine counties With
I'VE district engineers to supervise
them and a state engineer and highway
commission over them all. I, was
grea, law. /, raised money for county
roads, Sc. men 70 work grading down
Iowa's hills and so standardized bridge
plants that the cubic yard unit cost of
concrete in bridges has been reduced
from SIS 10 So. The road work being
done now is being done TO definite
plan with blue prints OF file in the en-
gineers office but 3rockway learned
this week tha; his new law has failed
TO build a road that can be depended
upon.
Brockway IS married and has baby.
The baby's grandpa is commandant at
the soldiers home in Marshalltown so.
Of course, Brockway must needs drive
up from southeastern Iowa TO bring
Mamma and the kid home after the
holidays. The roads were fine Satur-
day and he came thru in six hours
but on Sunday drizzling rain had set
in and Brockway was Wild with ap-
prehension. He wanted 10 telephone
TO Des Moines for an inside weather
report from the weather man himself
and then again he wanted 10 start right
on: Sunday noon :n an effort 20 beat
the storm home. Brockway bcesed the
Job of making a road law for Iowa two
years ago but ne has not yet seen a
road that can be used after thirty
minutes of nloisture-not in Iowa.
Now, Z Brocliway had lived in In
diana for instance he could have driven
his car right thru the rain over 2s.s00
miles of hard surfaced roads, gravel,
naea dam, brick or concrete pavenlents
Indiana with 90 per cent Of the road
ynilea &c which Iowa has offers nearly
twice the entire county road system Of
Iowa improved for every cay travel and
Indiana spends less money per annum
upon her roads than does Iowa. Her
counties issue their bonds for long
time roads Just as we issue bonds for
court houses.
If Mr. Brockway had lived in Ohio
ne could have driven home in the rain
over brick and concrete paved roads
or well graveled roads al best for Ohio
has 24,400 miles of them, much more
than our entire county road system
and Ohio spends less per annum upon
her roads than Iowa does but in Ohio
| her counties issue bonds for hard sur
faced roads.
| Had he moved to California as so
uidily Oh IO"o Pio.PSaouS Ae-- i-ASA . ~
he could have driven home, rain or
shine, over S,7sS miles OF hard sur
faced roads and California spends less
per annum upon her roads than does
Iowa but California as state and her
! counties both issue bonds for good
roads
Brockway ought to be in the dairy
business among the stump lands OF
Wisconsin for there they spend only
about half as much money per annum
upon their roads as Iowa farmers
spend upon theirs but in Wisconsin
Brockway could have had 1880 miles
of improved hard surfaced roads be-
cause aid from the state and local
bonds have enabled permanent hard
surfaced roads to be built
But Brockway prefers to stay in
Iowa where a farmer can get rich
faster than he can In any other place
on earth. He will ship his car and
his family home by rail or take q
chance on killing them all In the ditch
beside a slippery clay grade and never
realize that he Is paying . road taz
immeasurably greater than the one the
assessor marks up on him. II Brock
ways committee had permitted lows