The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1916-06-15
NE LEON REPORTER, THURSDAY, JUNE Is, 1916.

| GRAFTON is that the National Govern
! ment has appropriated $5,000,000 fol
state aid in 1916 and $4,000 in 1911
increasing each year and none of this
money can be spent in states not hav
ing Highway Commission. If Iowa
! wants her share she must have q
Highway Commission. The govern
ment wants to know the money is go
ing to be spent under the supervision
of some competent authority.
Due to the provision of the law re.
quiring that road grading must be ad.
vertised, the contract price of such
work has been forced down to an
average of IS to 20 cents per cubic
yard whereas formerly such work
cost from 25 to so cents per cubic
yard
Some Ill feeling has been engender.
ed against the Commission by local
officials laying the blame for delayed
work upon the Commission saying
the Commission would not permit the
local officials to proceed with the
work. In other words it offered an
easy excuse while the facts did not
always justify the assertion The
next time such claim is made just
write the Commission yourself and
see if they are delaying the work
IN order that the county road sys-
tenn of the several counties may con-
meet up at their borders with other
counties, in order that mistakes made
in one county may be guarded against
in other counties and the benefit Of
improved methods developed by ona
county passed on to other counties
there must be some general super
vision and this can only be done by
the State-this is the work of the
Highway Commission.
hold no brief for the Highway
Commission. l am talking about the
law and the practical working of it.
I have heard complaints about in.
dividuals, mistakes have no doubt
been made, most of us do occasional
ly make mistakes. If the present
Commission is made up of competent
men, we'll and good-if not, the fault
is with the present state administra-
ton. The law is new. differences
were sure to arise, customs of long
standing We're done away with and a
new order of things established.
Much should be allowed under the cir.
cumstances. But without endorsing
the conduct of the commission or its
membership, not being intimately ac-
quainted with the members or activi.
ties of the Commission, | believe
careful study will convince anyone
not personally int "ested in doing
this road work in his own sweet way
for his own private reasons that with
proper attention on the part of the
governor appointing the commission
it can render very valuable service
and believe in giving a good thing a
fair trial rather than opposing it.
Stop and think who first prejudiced
you against the Commission. Who
was he? When you stop to think Of
it, was there not a reason for his an
tagonism and is it not fact that you
have no such personal reason as ne
had to be opposed to the Highway
Commission law?
BY the way, just what is your OBJ.
lection to the Commission? You be.
lieve in Home Rule, in letting the PEG.
pie who pay the money spend it, etc?
All right so do L; and did you know
that
First, the Commission has no pow.
er to raise funds, as this power lies
entirely with the township trustees
and county supervisors
Second, the Commission has nc
authority to eXpend funds This au
thority also lies with the township
trustees and county supervisors
Third, the Commission has no au.
thority to dictate when expenditures
are to be made
Fourth the Commission has no au.
thority to dictate where expenditures
are to be made
Fifth, the Commission does have
authority to say how improvements |
are to be made. That is, the Com. !
mission has authority to fix the stand. |
ards Of construction for road and
bridge work, and that is all it does /
have authority to do and is it not to
your interest and mine that someone |
who knows should pass judgment on
how the work should be done? Not
SO bad after all.
Summing the matter up, then, my
position on the road question is that
our hills and grades should be cut
down, that our roads where necessary
should be subdrained, that our road |
beds should be graded to turn the
water, that the sides of the roads
should be ditched to carry off the ex
ira water, that permanent bridges
should be built to cut out the repairs
on our temporary bridges, that our
road beds should be graveled where
present taxes will pay for it, that they
may be passable the year round, that
all this money should be spent by the
local community after the proposition
has been submitted to the voters and
they have expressed a desire to have
it done-the plans for the larger and