Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-04-08


OF the county road system would
prove prohibitive In expense. The facts
are that the Times Republican 10 OPP
posed to any further increase In road
taxes in this state except by the con-
sent of those who are to be taxed a.
expressed in bond election ana the
Times Republican has learned from
the actual experience OF ether states
that all these improvements would be
possible from the road taxes we are
now paying II we would finance our
road work as almost every other state
in the union is financing its road
work. It Is not Increased taxation
which Is proposed but conservation Of
the taxes which we are paying. Get
that and no man need fail to under
stand what the Times Republican has
in mind when it reports how the coun-
try roads are being paved in other
states ecr the road taxes 4. these
states are not running higher than
our own taxes. II they were the peo-
pie there would not be doing what
they are doing.
Marshall county. for instance, will
spend nearly 100000 upon its county
roads and bridges during the next
thirty years at it's present rate of tax
alton and If spent as road money has
been spent in the past we will have
just as little to show for our 100000
then as we have now fo- what has
been spent in the past thirty years.
This year this county will spend
$4,000. Valuations upon which taxes
are levied have doubled in the past
thirty years and they will double again
thirty years hence. This will average
an increase Of SO per cen. in county
road money at the same tax rate and
the automobile licenses will more than
double in thirty years to come If the
present fees remain unchanged. Thus
at present rates county read moneys
during the next thirty years will av-
erage $4,000 per annum without in
creasing the rate Of taxation. During
the whole period it will amount to
81, 00O,0 900 which we are going to spend
on our county roads anyway.
Looking at what we have today for
the expenditure of the past thirty
years we may we'll ask ourselves what
will we get for this s4,000,G00 during
the next thirty years? Then it may
dawn upon US that If W. could get
savings banks and bond holders in
New England to advance US this
81, OOO, 900 in anticipation of the taxes
which we are going to pay anyway we
might build the kind of roads that
other states are building.
What could we do with $4,000, 900?
It has been estimated by former
county engineer that every wooden
and iron bridge and culyert in Mar
shall county could be replaced with
permanent masonry for s450,O0O. Built
within five years and paid for in thir-
ty years this would consume $750,000
Of our $4,000 900 fund for principal
and interest. We have 1Sa miles in
our county road system. We could
gravel 100 miles thoroughly for $4,000
per mile and maintain it well graveled
for 800 per mile each year thereafter.
This would require $640.000 of our
81, 100000 fund. We could pave the
remaining eighty three miles and pay
principal, thirty years interest and
for $1,1oo,o0o. Thus with
every bridge and culvert replaced with
eighty-three miles paved and
100 miles graveled and maintained for
thirty years we would have spent only
81, 100000 interest charges included.
The other 81. 500, 900 would be available
for grading or Improvement Of more
miles Of county roads. All this could
be done on present rates Of road taxa
ton. Is it any wonder that other
states can do these things without
higher road taxes than we pay in
Iowa?