Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1916-05-05
PRIZE ESSAY
ON BUILDING
co. ROADS.
WORK SHOULD BE IN CHARGE OF
EXPERTS-kEEP THE WEEDS
CUT-GOOD ROADS ALWAYS A
GOOD INVESTMENT.

AL
The committee selected to Judge the
essays entered in the prize contest
conducted by the farmers institute
awarded first prize to Michael Malana-
ply. His essay is published here
with in full
Good roads are not luxuries but are
real necessities. 1t may seem great
expense to keep up and improve the
country roads yet like every other
good investment they yield big re-
turn for the capital invested. If it
were not for the good roads how would
the farmers be able to dispose of their
crops? They would merely spoil un-
less there were some means of trans
porting them quickly and easily to
the consumer. 1t is no rare occur
ence to hear of extremely high prices
or famines caused by the inability to
haul supplies over the poor roads,
which have been made worse by a
rain, snow or floods. Often a crop
would be of great value if it were in
the place where it could be used, but
if the conditions are such that it is
impossible or too difficult to trans
port to the right place, this same
crop will be nearly valueless. The
roads serve as an index to the pros
perity of community or town. 1t
is only natural that people would
choose the best roads. If they are
out for a pleasure trip they will Sc
lect the best roads, therefore the
towns along these roads will be bene-
fitted by their patronage. Likewise if
farmer lives equidistant between
two towns he Will invariably choose
the town which has the best roads
leading into it to do his buying and
selling in. Therefore it is easily seen
that good roads are really good in
vestments instead of being financial
drains.
There are no exceptionally great diff
ficulties to be overcome in improving
the roads of Iowa. They are rather
easier to maintain and improve than
those of many other districts. AL
though there is. considerable money
spent on the roads of Iowa there does
not seem to be any marked improve
ment. This is because there is no
competent organization back of the
movement. This is our first great
need. We need particularly a body OF
good competent road engineers, who
have made study Of the laws and
principles which go into the construc-
ton of good roads. Now we have a
group of retired farmers and business
men who have had no education what
ever along these lines, SO as to be
able to direct the building of these
roads. There is as much science in
road building as there is in Astrono-
my or Chemistry and it is not an I'M
dertaking suitable for every man. One
engineer could build road twice as
good and in half the time taken in
the present state of affairs. Such a
man would know when a road needs
improvement and when it does not.
He would put more time and labo:
upon places where it is needed and
less upon places where it is not need
I'D
where large sums of money have been
spent in cutting down hill when it
merely needed to be smoothed up. 1t
is not generally the steepnoss of the
hills so much as the surface of the
road that counts. An automobile can
climb most any hill in Iowa if there
is chance to get fair start and to
go at moderate speed, without the car
being shaken to pieces. The same
is true about horses for they are
bothered more by the roughness and
loose rocks than by the steepness of
the grade.
1t is essential that thoroughness and
economy should be practiced yet this is
impossible unless there is some cen
trail controlling organization which
has the best facilities for experiment.
ing and determining the best methods
of construction. There are scientific
principles, which operate under diff
ferent conditions either for the bene-
fit or injury of the undertaking. The
truth of this statement is illustrated
by the excellent condition of the
roads which were built many years
ago by Caesar.
With a scientfct organization at
the head of the good road movement
there would be great saving in
money and time, better and more at
tractive highways and an eliminating