Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-11-21
! LOCAL COMMENT


The Federation of Women's Clubs
should be encouraged In their efforts
to place before our people u class OF
moving pictures which are educational
uplifting and instructive as well as
The character Of Jean
Vatican in Les Miserables Is one OF
the masterpieces OF literature. The
ideal painted by the author OF that
famous story has long been the theme
of orations upon good character and
and 1t Is q distinct public
service to teach the wholesome lesson
from a moving picture reel 1t is to be
hoped that there will be more of them
shown. When the new Y. M. c. A. is
ready for service the moving picture
sermon should be developed to it's full
est usefulness and when the Womens
Club co-operates with the Y. w. Z. "A
to provide a woman's building for the
town the moving picture equipment Tor
educational and instructive purposes
should be included. The school board
should equip it's assembly hall for
showing reels Of educational. historical
and informing value. In other words
let's use the tools OF the age in which
we live.
The city council will save money for
owners when it lets paving
contracts in the winter time upon the
low market for all contracts of that
kind. If the council carries out anoth-
er suggestion which it seems to favor
at this time another great saving can
be made and paving can be reduced to
such a figure that everybody will want
his property improved. At 80 cents per
foot curbs now cost $1S for a sixty
feet lot front and paving at s1.25 per
yard will cost S125 for half of fun
width street. On the seven year as
ssssment plan this costs the lot owner
$50 each year plus per cent interest on
the deferred payments. By reducing
the pavement to twenty -four feet from
curb to curb one fifth Of the cost OF
the paving is saved to each property
owner or SIS on each lot front and the
annual assessment drops to SIT plus
Streets of this width are wide
enough for residential districts we'll out
from the center OF town and have been
in many places. The state
highway commissions standard speci-
fcation for highway grade is TWEEN
ty-four feet and it will carry all or
binary traffic especially If the full
twenty-four feet is paved.
The boulevard on North Third ave-
nue. must be improved. To leave it at
ter the grading has been done will
mean that this street will be practi-
%,.,c 11o
street is now cut down to the loose
bank sand. There should be laid on
this street a concrete center fifteen
feet wide without curbs and the other
drive graveled or each drive of this
double avenue boulevard should have
a Lincoln Highway pavement nine feet
wide with gravel shoulders on each
side for turnouts. Either way would
use the same amount Of gravel while
paving on street only would use con-
crete five yards wide or the paving
of two streets would use concrete six
yards wide in the two nine feet strips
The city park needs a shallow la
COON for wading place and chill
dren's boating. Why not scoop out the
soil and use it for parking the center
Of this beautiful avenue? 1t will be
possible under the right kind of treat
ment to bring the city park virtually
half a mile farther into town.
Two very interesting items of infor-
nation were contained in the report OF
the county engineer when he gave the
cost of grading a mile Of road with the
road leveler at $3.50 and the cost Of
dragging a mile of road for the entire
season at $500. 1t will be remem-
bered that ten years or more ago be-
fore the road drag was generally
known in Iowa the Times
paid for dragging demonstration road
on the Marion street grade and 1t cost
1876 to maintain one and a quartz!
miles of good road all that season
which was wet one. Two dollars u
month for dragging a mile Of dirt road
during seven or eight months Of the
year is the best way to spend road
money on the roads we have. Occas-
ionally leveler can be used but once
over with lever costs one third as
much as all summers work with
drag Stick to the drag.
The Belgian relief fund should grow
without work. Those who have raised
corn should haul some Of it to the
nearest elevator, take receipt and
send the receipt to the MarshalltoWr
Club. When Marshall county has do
mated car load 1t will be Transported
to tide-water free of charge. Those
who are thankful that they are livinE
where the goose hangs high should
contribute to the young ladies with the
tags. Belgians are starving. WHO
wants to sit down to his Thanksgiv-
ing dinner with the feeling that others
are starving to death for the bare ne.
cessities of existence?