Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-09-24
PAVING WRIGHT AND FRANKLIN.


! a farmers picnic at Dows is published
| in the Times Republican by request OF
one who heard it and it is commended
| to every reader as the best that can
be put up in opposition TO hard sur
! faced roads. MIR. Winslow. of Dows,
/ is convincing talker. A year ago he
! Vas opposed TO all road improvement.
! New he is in favor of crawling the
main roads of Franklin and Wright
counties but he is opposed TO taxing
the farmer for paved roads because he
| believes that the cost would be pro-
hibi,ive He censures the editors. the
hard surfaced roads because he be-
lieves that they are proposing to pave
all the roads at terrific cost to the
I farmer Fear OF the cost and lack Of
! information as to the facts are all that
| stand between Winslow and a hard
road booster. and Winslow is type
Of the average land owner.
But Winslow is mistaken The edi
tors and bankers who boost for hard
roads have in mind gravel construc-
ton for most Of the county roads and
pavements only for the main roads in
the vicinity of market centers where
traffic concentrates from many roads
on 70 few and ravels gravel into
ruts However, they believe that both
gravel o,S rarara,,-- aro ,>sS;tJa ro,,,
without increased taxation and the
bankers so stated in their state con-
ven,ion saving
We believe tina, the time has arrived
Cor the building of hard surfaced roads
in Iowa as the people of so many other
states are now doing and we are con-
tident that our road taxes already
1xed by law are sufficient without ma
terial increase If anticipated by the
sale % public bonds
In order that Mr.. Winsow and Others
may know that the bankers were about
right il can be shown from the tax
books Of both Franklin and Wright
counties that forty miles OF paved
roads in the vicinity % market towns
can be constructed in Franklin county.
fifty miles in Wright county and all
the rest OF the county road system in
beth counties thoroughly graveled,
every temporary bridge in both coun-
ties replaced with permanent masonry
and the whole bill paid. principal. in
terest and maintenance without chang
ing a single tax levy in either county
If thirty year bonds are issued.
The reason to- {, is tina. Mr.. Win
slow is in error in figuring the cost Of
a paved road IS feet wide al $4,000
$4,000 per mile for a sixteen foot
pavement between Mason City and
Clear Lake and only 1920 per mile
for single track paved road out OF
Winona. MINI. II MI. winslow does
not revise his figures he viii oe sus-
pected of trying to make paved roads
look unduly expensive
Property subject TO taxation has in
creased during the past thirty years
three times in value in Franklin and
three and hal! Zines IN Wright. II
is safe 70 say that i, will ar least
double in another thirty years which
az this years levies would yield an
annual increase of so per cent in
county road and bridge funds Every
BODY knows that auto licenses will at
least average double during the next
thirty years Frankiin's county road
and bridge monies this year are $751;
500 and Wrights s6s,s79 AT an aver
age increase of so per cent without
changing levies they will average for
the next thirty years s77,25o and s103,-
31s per annum respectively. Auto
license this re2- we1e sii,vIz III
Franklin and s12,45s in Wright. Dou-
bic them and they viii average s22,-
IA and s24,s12 or total bridge and
road monies Of $685. 1874 annual average
for Franklin and sl2s,2sO for Wright
al present fixed levies.
An estimate for replacing all wood
en- bridges and culverts with masonry
in Marshall county has been placed by
the county engineer at $3.50, 900 and for
Polk county by the state highway
commission at $4,000. For Franklin
and Wright counties an estimate of
100000 would be safe With thirty
year bonds at !; Y per cent interest this
would cost $50, 900 per annum for
principal. 1880 per annum average
interest. 5000 per annum maintenance
total $4,000 annual fixed charge for
each county completely bridged with
! masonry. Each county is paying more
than that now and is wasting nearly
$4,000 per annum on repairs To tenn
porary bridges.
a single track paved road costing
$500 per mile costs $40 per annum
for thirty years for principal average
interest and maintenance. A graveled
road costing $4,000 per mile costs 1852
per annum Tor principal, average in
terest and maintenance. After pay
ing 1885 per annum in each county
for the bridge charge Franklin could
! pave forty miles for s1s,so0 per annum
ard could grave. the remaining fs5
miles OF its county road system for
! $751; total $s4,4 o6 for paved roads.
graveled roads, concrete bridges, prin
loipaJ in<orao@ ord ~a;otan.r,> THE