Omaha daily bee., 1915-10-08
Good Roads in Iowa
report rown stat. HishvAy comis'u.

III HE law under authority Of which the present COM
mission II organized. became effective on publica-
tion April 3. 1918. Prior to that time the or
ganizaon Of the commission under the law passed
in 1904 which constituted the Iowa State college
institution, highway commission FOR the state.
Under this form OF organization the activities Of the
commission directed by the dean OF engineering,
A. Marston and the dean OF agriculture. c. f. Curtiss
under the general administration. first OF the board
OF trustees and later Of the State Board Of Educa-
tion. The first appropriation for the maintenance Of
the good roads work was 50 500 per snnum, which
increased in 1906 to 5000 per and IN 1910 to
$1,000 per annum. All bills, purchases and business
details handled through the finance committee of
the hoard Of education and the
OF the college. and the commissions organization
formed to the rules and regulations did the
regular departments Of the college.
Under this organization 1t was possible to make \
broad study OF the needs OF the state and consider
able amount OF information was gathered. which
formed the foundation Of the later legislation stand
ard plans and methods for highway impr
also developed and distributed TO public officials.
In all the detailed studies that were made in the
various counties and along various lines. the expen-
dture OF the public FUNDS raised for highway improve
nent received the keenest analysis. Gradually It be-
came evident that the expenditures for bridges and
culverts should be the first be placed on business
IKE basis Just as soon as the commission found
that the culvert and bridge situation be bet
tered in tho state before any considerable progress
could be made. the work Of the commission at once
became open TO the attacks of those whose interests
Noulu De AIected ny the placing OF the bridge
OF the state on open competitive basis. Two facts
became Immediately apparent.
First That the state was divided into districts by
the supply companies and Il was impossible to Sc
cure competition between them
second That there were standards OF value or
any general knowledge, amongst the road officials
or the market value or bridge materials and labor
which were being supplied TO the public Likewise
there was no uniformity existing either in quality or
prices Of the supplies furnished
This vicious system began almost with the sdven,
OF the first iron bridges. and developed through
the stage OF steel bridges fastened itself with
tenacious purpose upon the concrete bridge Industry
augmented as 1t was by so-called patents and other
practices amounting TO little less than blackrnal
scheS'es for controlling the bridge and cuvert funds
OF the state These funds proper constituted about
ohe-hah the entire road taxes raised In addition
however to the bridge funds more and more OF the
FUNDS raised for road grading road dranase and dra
sns were diverted to pay for bridges cuverts
preceding the passage Of the probably
not less than 80 cent of the money for road work
was going into corrugated old boiler pipe or other
forms OF eulverts or into road machinery and ve-y
small fraction indeed actually reaching the road
way In the form OF road work
As the commission had secured sufficient
Information relative TO the existing conditions recon-
mendatons were made for corrective legislation
were introduced In three successive
vide adequate bridge law, and time they were
overwhelmingly defeated through the influence of tho
lobby maintained by the bridge companies co-opera
ton with element which at that time held the
troll In the state Supervisory association.
II was not until several supervisors in Polk and
Clinton counties removed through the efforts
the department OF justice and the highway commission
that the people of the state became
ditions that existent In counties. This
was followed by the recovery by the highway commits
sion and the department of justice. in cooperation
with the county attorney OF Clinton county of over
$4,000 Illegally paid out for bridge work In Clinton
county
The existence OF like conditions other districts
OF the state together with the demand for an
efficient and trained administration of road bridgo
construction under responsible head resulted in the
legislation under which the present state highway de-
partment organized and completely new system
of highway administration established.