Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-02-07
FARMERS INSTITUTE COMMITTEE
MAY GALL COUNTY ROAD
CONVENTION.
SUPERVISORS CAN BOND;
REVENUES ARE SUFFICIENT
D. w. Norris Demonstrates on Charts
That Entire County Road System
Could Be Graded and GraveIed in
Five Years, Bonded, and Bonds Paid
in Fifteenth to Eighteenth Year.

! A convention Of farmers from the
townships and of business men from
'~ the towns may be called to recommend
TO the board OF supervisors that the
entire county road system of Marshall
county be put to permanent grade and
surfaced with gravel or other material
. within five years. and bonds issued il
anticipation of future taxes to pay for
the work. Upon a rising woe taken
Saturday afternoon in the joint meet
ing of the Marshall County Farmers
Institute and the Marshall County
Farmers Association there was only
one vote in a court room full of farm
erS registered in opposition. and it was
then voted unanimously to appoint a
committee TO wait on the board and to
call a representative convention if tho
board would a gree to be guided by
convention. The committee appointed
was c. E. Arney. J. {. Koontz, Henri.
Cooke Frank Swearingen. and F. r
Benedict. Those men will confer with
the board of supervisors next We'd
nesday morning.
Can Be Done in Five Years.
D. W. Norris mad been requested to
address the meeting with charts and a
/ full explanation as TO how the county
] road system could he put TO permanent
l grade and surfaced within a reason
able period of time without increased
taxation. Mr.. Norris explained that
every state TO the east of US, including
illinois, had its main roads surfaced.
but that no state excepting New York
! had been spending as much tax money
upon its roads and bridges in any one
year was being spent for mud
roads in Iowa. He explained that the
reason for II was in the fact that in
| all those states the counties were fs-
suing bonds so as to distribute the cost
of longtime road equitably over the
future taxpayers who would use tho
road,
After explaining the equity and
soundness Of the bond plan OF dietri-
huting taxation Mr. Norris then dem
onstrated its principles by laying out
theoretical plan for putting the en-
fire county road system Of 1S5 miles to
grade IN Ave years. surfacing all Of |.
except the Lincoln Highway with
gravel and paving the Lincoln High
way with a single track pavement nine
feet wide with four feet of gravel on
each side.
By one plan bonus was to be raised
of $500 for each mile permanently i'm
proved and after applying current
taxes the remaining cost was TO be
| bonded. Al the end Of five years the
entire county road system would have
been permanently improved with
total Of s43S.2aG of road bonds out
standing. and at the end OF the If
reenth year the bonds would have been
paid OF with interest and maintenance
costs
10
could be improved in the same manner
and in the same Ave years of construc-
tion work. but without any bonus
money. using county money only BY
this plan there would be s539.9s7 in
road bonds outstanding at the end OF
the fifth year. but they would all be
paid with interest and maintenance in
the eighteenth year.
Likewise with the bridge fund. the
county could replace all of it's temper
AIRY bridges with masonry. issue bonds
as fast as needed. and still have twice
much money in its bridge fund at
present levies would be needed TO
pay off the bonds in twenty annual in
i staliments.
Cost Estimates Authoritative.
The cost estimates used by Mr. Nor
ris we're $1,000 per mile for grading.
whether the road were level or hilly.
and this has been the avers ge cost in
Iowa for over 800 miles which have
been put TO permanent grades. He
used $4,000 per mile for crawling. al
1 tho roads are being graveled in Greene
county for $1,000 per mile, and ne used
$4,000 per mile for single track pave
nent altho IL has been let by contract
in Minnesota for $500 per mile. The
cost of replacing temporary bridges he
placed at $4,000 as that was the es-
4 innate of two county engineers.
Mr.. Norris began his estimate with
S5s.228 Of bridge money, s29,444 county
q road money and $4,000 auto license
money, and ne used a normal increase
Of per cent per annum in the tax
revenues because property subject to
taxation has been increasing at that
rate in this county. He estimated an
increase Of $4,000 per annum in the
auto license money until the total
n number of cars licensed had doubled
81 then the revenue would cease to in
crease.
q Supervisors Can Issue Bonds.
81 Mr.. Norris explained that a board
q Of supervisors could bond any deficit
under Section 403 OF the code but that
no three supervisors would feel justi-
fed in anticipating taxes for a period
Of years without the recomme end alton
of a representative body Of taxpayers.
He explained how Hardin county had
called such convention, which had
voted unanimously to have it's board
go ahead with the Improvement of its
county road system within three years.
Many Approve Plan.
George A. Turner spoke briefly, say
ing that he believed in the bond plan
for financing permanent public i'm
provements.
rising vote vas called in
favor Of the plan of bonding, and
nearly everyone stood up. Upon call
for all those opposed Nelson Lacke!
a retired farmer living in town, stood
alone. 1t was then voted to appoint a
committee to wait upon the board and
arrange for general convention to
represent the whole county.
Townships Only Hope.
Several present were more interested
In the Improvement OF township roads
but Norris explained that there .sers
Only two ways to accomplish that, the
first being to improve permanently tbs
= present county road system, and Their