The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1914-01-16

/ would rather take boy who only
knew his three RS and knew them
perfectly, with a widowed mother
to support, than a high school grad
uate today.
"They don't know how to spell
and figure accurately. Our public
school education must be more prac-
tical. It must rest upon a sounder
foundation. When I was IA years
old I was studying logarithms. What
is the boy of IA studying today.
Someone who ought to know tells me
they are teaching reading by sight
now. Many of the pupils, I am told,
don't know the rotation of their let
ters; they don't know If Il comes
before M or after r.
"It is not the fault of young peo-
pie. They are giving their time un-
der the delusion that they are getting
an education. It is the system that
is to blame"
Whether Mr.. Hills statements are
overdrawn or not, it is the express
sion heard on every hand among bus
ness men after trying to get work
done by those fresh from the schools
| They simply have to be done over
until they forget much of what they
learned in school, and by acquiring
a new training they become useful
and a certain amount of what they
learned in school enables them tt
take on what the business man teach
es them. The school comes in fol
something in credits as we'll as 6
scathing.
What has been said of schools has
always been said of making anG
maintaining public roads. They have
been a subject of much joking ant
squandering of public money and the
time of individuals. If anything ha:
ever been the object upon which more
money was wasted outright than up
on the schools it was the public roads
The old piece meal plan of doing
road work prevented anything syste
matte being planned and carried tt
completion until much of the begin
ing was undone or destroyed. RoaG
work in most of the states fell into
such disrepute that it came to BIZ
'ooke'l upon as day to be spent
swapping !ains and loafing by the
roadside. Under our present system
the in idual pays in cash and 9
permanent working force may be kept
on the roads but even in that plan
the work has to be distributed over
so much territory that it is good only
in spots or sections. The demands
Of the times grow faster than road
work can be done, and the sacrifice
from people having to do their haul.
ing over poor roads is heavy.
Under present laws in this state
road districts may be formed in any
territory having not less than a mil.
lion in taxable property, and a bond
sale for road purposes may be made
II Bingham county organized it.
self into a road district on this plan
it could bond for about $780,
900 and put its roads and bridges in
such condition as that amount OF
money were CAPABLE Of making, and
the increased amount of tonnage that
could be moved on the roads with the
same expense, the increased useful
ness of the roads in every way would
constitute value in an amount that
can only be estimated. More road
work can be accomplished at a given
expense If it is done all at once, the
up-keep can be accomplished better
II there is a completed job to take
care Of and the producers of heavy
crops that have to be hauled to mar
ket can be sure of being able to move
crops at any time regardless of
weather conditions if they have we'll
made, we'll drained roads to haul ov-
er. Crops that can not be raised at
a profit when poor roads are between
the farm and the market, can be de-
livered to market at a profit when
good permanent roads exist. A coun-
ty laid with poor roads and bridges
spells inertia and lack Of enterprise;
a county with good roads everywhere
stands for heavy production and
good incomes. When the incomes
have been established, the tax ques-