The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1916-06-15

per year every year they will dis.
charge all interest and debt in 1910
or at the end of the 25th year from
now and without any increase in the
rate of assessment. This also takes
into consideration an allowance Of
$4,000 per year for maintenance on
bridges while the permanent struc-
lures are being put in. Would it not
look as though Tama County tax pay.
ers would be big money ahead by
such a program instead OF going
along as many counties have, putting
all their money into repairs on roads
and temporary bridges to be con-
slant burden of expense for repairs
not only for the 25 years contemplated
in their estimate but for all time?
Under this program they get perman-
ent grades in three years, all roads
graveled in fifteen years, permanent
bridges in fifteen years and the whole
bill, grade, gravel and bridges, paid
for in full including interest in %
years.
Tama County with 21O miles Of
county road, s273,OOO for grading,
$645,O00 for crawling and $1,430,OO0
for bridges has big problem, very
much larger than the average county
but you can see how it works out when
business methods are applied. Did
you ever hear of big insurance COM
pany building a large building, pay
ing all interest from revenue, estab-
fishing sinking fund to pay their
money back and eventually have all
their money back and still own the
building? Good scheme. Our people
can anticipate taxes the same as the
owner of the building anticipates
rents, build roads, apply the money
they pay as taxes each year to the
debt and in short time have the
roads all paid for and still own the
roads.
The same method would be pursued
in the matter Of crawling roads that
is considered for permanent bridges,
and the sum total Of the whole propo-
sition is that during period of years
during all of which time you would
be using this graveled road, instead
of dragging yourself and your family
through the mud. you would be pay
ing a little each year on these roads.
and an amount no greater than you
are going to pay into the road fund
anyway. Counties with large amount
of work to do in cutting down the
hills, with no gravel accessible there
by making the roads more expensive
to build than in the average county,
and on top of that having low valua-
tons may not be able to pay for
from present revenues.
There are counties that cannot. 1t
may be necessary for such an unfortu-
nately situated. county to permit road
districts to be formed, allowing those
property owners directly served by
the road to contribute to it's construc-
ton. If those living directly upon the
road do not desire to do this then
those counties without gravel handy
and with steep hills to cut will have
to for the present put up with mud.
1t Is an unfortunate fact that these
very counties, because of their hills |
and streams, have been obliged to
rob their road fund to repair their
bridges. In these counties better
'oads may have to wait until perlnan-
mt bridges are in. and the repairs cut
gut so all the money can go into per
nanent road work.
Eleven Iowa Counties Follow Fian.
Eleven counties in Iowa have al
eady issued bonds to do this work.
Under the law as it now stands the
:oard of supervisors may issue bonds
o pay any overdraft in the road fund.
they have proceeded sometimes after
Instructions from publicly called
Meeting and sometimes on their own
notion to improve the roads and then
ssue bonds to take UP the overdraft.
This is too much sponsibility to
orce upon the board of supervisors.
The law should be changed giving the
people the right to anticipate revenues
f they wish, but revenues not to be
without lue express du'
hority of the voters.
All our roads cannot be put III arst
class condition in a minute but we
IAN make start. We can anticipate
'evenues to an extent that will give
IS improved roads over at least some
If the most travelled roads and the
rest can come along as we get to it.
Let us cut out so far as possible this
awful waste OF repairing bridges this
year to be washed out next year and
grading our roads this year for next
springs rains to wash away.
The People Served to Decide.
Whether the county where condi.
ions are favorable should anticipate
'evenues for enough to gravel the
'oads of the county is for the county
o determine Whether the township
shall do this for the roads through the
Ownship is for the township to ue.
ermine. Whether road districts shall
,e organized and the tax payers in
hose districts vote upon the cues
ion as to whether or not they wish
o improve their roads, is for the PEG.