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

our present mud roads and spend Il
for putting on a permanent surface
if they desire. All these matters tc
be determined by the tax payer liv
ing in the district to be served by
the road
No Disposition to Force Good Roads.
There is no disposition to force
an improved road upon any commun'
ty that does not desire it. am
perfectly willing the law should be SO
framed that it may be necessary to
tell the tax payers just what the road
will cost, just what each mans share
will be and allow only those who will
have to contribute to the cost OF the
road to vote as to whether they will
or will not have it.
There is no wish to increase taxes.
but the whole proposition is sugges-
ton that we spend only the money
we are already spending on our roads,
spend it to get the greatest value out
of it and have the roads now rather
than many years in the future. In
other words, the proposition is to
build the roads and use them now and
pay for them piece-meal over period
of years rather than to build them
piece-mea, and in the meantime not
have the benefit Of the roads.
Can you find in this any suggestion
that the tax payers of Iowa should
be burdened with debt greater than
the war debt of Europe? Can you
find in this any suggestion that we
should have brick paved road
around every forty acres in the state
of Iowa?
So far as can see it, it is applying
to the road problem which is COM
munity problem the same good busl-
ness practice you apply when you buy
your farm, when you go in debt in
any way for improvements that Will
pay for themselves, such as sllos,
draining your farms, etc. 1t is the
application of the same principle that
you follow in building your school
houses.
am sure each OF you will agree
that this is sane, sensible method
of handling the road problem and on
basis that will not burden you or
your children with more taxes than
you will pay under our present meth
DDS. In fact, personally. l do not be-
lieve that your taxes will be as great,
because you cut out to large extent
repairs and maintenance. In this
connection, the cost of maintaining a
graveled road, to keep it in tirst-class
condition and as good if not better
at the end of twenty years as at the
end of the first year is, figuring liber
ally, 500 per mile per year. We spent
in Iowa last year on our county road
system, not for permanent work, but
for maintenance and repairs 81, 143,-
$500 or an average Of S74.00 per
mile ana what did we get for it? 1t
will cost us little more to maintain
graveled roads than it does to main
tain our dirt roads and we have a 800
day road free from mud instead OF
dragging ourselves through the mud
or staying at home because of impass |
able roads.
Highway Commission Discussed.
Now there is one proposition that
las been largely discussed and that
s the Highway Commission. We are
old that the local community should
nave control of the money they spend.
There is no one objecting to this and
10 one suggesting any other method.
The expenditure of every dollar
should be in the hands of the people
Who pay it but the people should re-
:eive a dollars worth of roads for
very dollar they r y. While the
statement may not be popular with
some township trustees, or road sup
ervisors, county engineers, etc, it
must be apparent 10 every man in
his audience that with practically
1000 township trustees IN the state,
hey cannot all be expert engineers
" expert road builders.
1t must be apparent that with 400
lleluDSIS VI luG UOdluS VI SupelN
,rs Of the state, they cannot all be
expert in this matter of road building,
bridge building, ETC., and with ninety
line county engineers selected as
hey are many times because they are
good fellows, local boys, ETC.. they
be the best men in the world
or this work or have the broad ex-
oerience that many men have had.
10 not mean to say that competent
men are the exception or that incom-
)etent are the rule. But do mean to
say that occasionally we find men fill
ing these positions who are not com
petent. can, for instance, tell you
Of bridges that have been built under
our old system with the tax payers
money where the bridges did not
stand up until they were finished. i
;an show you photographs of bridges
hat stood out in fields clear off the
Dad. There have things happened in
he conduct of our bridge building
md road building in Iowa that are
almost past believing.
When you and | go to build house,
We call in an architect, some man