The Oskaloosa herald., 1916-04-13

~
movement promoted by automobile
dealers, public officials who have the
expenditure of the public funds, and
contractors who are looking for big
profits out of the sale of materials
and labor No proposal made by the
Governor in his million Dollar bond
scheme, nor in the plans of the much
advertised Good Roads Train contain
any promise of any relief to the far
mers except the possibility Of one or
POSSIBLY two expensive macadamiZed
roads across the county, which must
be paid for by all for the benefit OF
only the favored few who may live
upon the line of the ROAD, except the
benefit that trans-continental tourists
and Joy riders may get out of them.
To illustrate the folly and unfaiTness
| of this proposition, there are approx
! imately 1900 miles of public roads in
Mahaska county and the Widest
scheme of the hard surfaced road
builders contemplate building and
completing about ten miles of road
per year. At this rate 1t will take
about 1870 years for every farmer to
| get his due share Of such wholesale
road Improvement and the total cost
is beyond comprehension. The entire
prosperity of Mahaska County is de.
pendent upon the prosperity Of its
farmers. One element of this prospect.
lty is the ability of the farmer to get
his products in grain, stock, and pro
iuce quickly and cheaply to the mar
BeL place. The market place in this
county Is not Mt one, as for instance
TUSCALOOSA, but Beacon, Taintor, New
Sharon, Barnes City, Lacey, Rose Hill,
Fremont, Wright, Cedar, Eddyville, La
konta and other places constitute the
market place for the farmers who re-
side within the market limits and the
| real problem is, not to furnish hard
surfaced roads at great expense to one
or two of these places upon which
pleasure craft can fash by at the
rate of 60 m an hour, but to provide
well drained and well graded roads at
reasonable cost to these various
points over which the farmer can haul
his products to market in all seasons.
Now as to the best plan of bringing
this about AS ] said before, Iowa is
the greatest agricultural state in the
Union Her soil is splendid for crops
but for that very reason 1t is not wen
calculated for permanent roads. There
are localities in the state where gray-
| ell and other road materials are of
easy access. These places are few but
| there permanent roads may be built
at comparative small cost In other
places oiled roads may be feasible.
But you cannot measure the whole
state by this one yard stick. For that
reason ROAD building Is not simply a
state matter but II is community
matter and the problem should be left
to each community to solve In the
manner best suited to its needs, con.
lsidering the first cost OF material. the
general value and character of the
land, and the financial condition Of
| the people. / an always for economy.
For every dollar OF public money ex-
pended want dollars worth OF pub
| lie benefit. / am not in favor OF bonds
for any purpose. do not like the way
Iour taxes have been increased IN Ma.
haska county for the last twenty
Years with so little TO show for it. !
wish any farmer who reads this would
look up HIS tax receipts Of twenty
years ago and compare Il with the
lone he TeccsTed on the same land last
March, and note the difference. Then
! let him Try TO account for this diner
lence in hls own mind, He Will find one
lbig item which the town man don't
lind on his tax receipt at all and that
lis the item OF road tax. am IN favor
| OF that item Of road tax appearing
upon every tax receipt and not simply
on the farmers tax receipt. Il pays
to stniY your tnx receipts Il re TAR
nadis would 10 more Ot that rs ei'
feet would soon ~ seen npon nc
Adv. Elaer y Aliicpeilf