Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-03-30
SPECIAL TRAIN
bEARSEXPERTS
ON GOOD ROADS
Makes Stop in Ottumwa fol
Nearly Two Hours to
Boost Highways
SHOW STEREOPTICON
AND GIVE LECTURES

" ~ A~ASAN/A AA><AA S#s Syg
AND GIVE LECTURES ]
Carload Of Models Owned
By Government Shown D
Urge County Bonds
The good roads special has comtSH
and gone and it's visit in Ottumwa De-
spite the early hour brought out NH
goodly number both of the local and
rural residents, to see and hear the
program. An hour and forty-nve min
utes were spent here, fifteen minutees
being cut from the local schedule and
the same from Oskaloosa to permit
of a thirty minute stop at Eddyville.
The interest aroused among thos4#
who attended the lectures and demon
strations here this morning on the
better highways bids fair to bear fruit
in more general support OF good road1
projects az they are offered durino#
the coming summer.
The plan advanced by the good
roads experts with the special train
here this morning was to bond the
county for it's roads In the same man
ner as is done for court houses
bridges, etc. A trip through the train
and a view Of the road models that
were shown was really worth whil0a
These models are owned by the fed
eral government and show q varietySS
of types Of roads that are being con-
structed in different parts Of the
country.
In the car with the models there areSa
also number OF pictures OF good and
bad roads, bridges, culverts. etc, thata
show the wise and unwise modes 9TH
construction
The lectures with the stereopticon
were given by J. s. Dodds OF Ame6
state highway commission engine0rsS3
and A. l.. Hooper Of the once Of pub
lie roads and rural engineering OF the
United States department Of agric1ll
ture. Despite the fact that less than
two hours were given to Ottunlwa bs
the special, goodly number lcr t'i
the lectures and looked over tie road
models while the train lay here
Bolton Urges Bonds. a
Preceding the lecture by Engincex
Dodds of the state highway cOmmfAH
sion, Ralph Bolton, secretary OF the
Greater Des Moines committee, tuld#
his audience that Iowa now pay9@
more for roads than all but two othey#
states, New York and California, bum
that Iowa is getting less than twenty
six other states who are paying l0s18
tax money for roads per annum thu
is Iowa. @s VT
According to Mr.. Bolton, MinnesOtM
and Mississippi each have three timed
as many miles of hard surfaced ruad1
as Iowa and have built their roads a.
less money. Illinois has four tine6a
Wisconsin five times and Ohio ana
Indiana each ten times as many lnile4a
OF hard surfaced roads and none 01#
these states pay as much annually tor
roads as Iowa pays.
"Last year." said he I'VE put ovel%
$5,O0O,000 into the mud. We put butN
544 miles Of road to permanent gradNS
and at that rate We will be thirty
years in completing the grading alone
Of our county highway system which,
is but Is per cent Of the roads Of the
state. We hard surfaced III miles
and at that rate will be ninety years.
in completing that work.
"The present tax levies and thSz
automobile tax money II plegded tdS
pay for bonds running thirty yearIH
would permanently grade and hart
surface every mile OF the county high
way system Of the state, would main
tain It, pay AZ per cent on the prins
cipal and would pay the principal i1s
self
"By issuing such bonds We can
have the roads and enjoy them White
we live and let posterity which VIM
! It also enjoys. And we can do thlNa
one cent. ssM
Emmett, Clay, Hardin, Diclinsos "
Calhoun, Buena Vista and Sac cOuus
ties have already decided to p0rmaMs
emily grade and gravel their entire
county highway systems and to DO llS
in three years, issuing bonds 70 paya
the cost Of the improvement
"The next legislature will be askeog
to enact such legislation as will allow
counties. townships and special dl1as
tricts by vote Of the people to issue
bonds for financing the road work ~
they now finance their court houseeS
and school houses" ;A
J. w. Hall chairman, J. r. StodghilH
and J. r. Knox, members Of the Wap%
clio county board OF supervisors t05
gether with Fred Manro Of Eldon aGsS|
companied the boosters to BddyvilI|
and returned on the regular train Gs
80 o'clock this morning.
The car was filed to overdowin1f
with listeners at the lecture given tl
the upper county town. Sever1
speeches were made and demonstr
tions outlined by those In charge 0t,
the car and It's mission. aS'