Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-02-17
LOCAL COMMENT


To be true, It is lot Of bother to
wade thru the long list Of questions
asked by Uncle Sam Of your private
affairs. but one might as well look
pleasant and fill out his income tax
return, providing his net income was
49,, 900 or more In 1916 March ! is the
date fixed for the returns to be filed
with the collector Of internal revenues
at Dubuque. II the returns are not
filed by that time delay may mean the
imposition of fine Of from $50 to
$1,000. Therefore It will pay not to
procrastinate.
Speaking of representation, the pre-
diction OF the city water supply fore
man, that Marshalltown again will be
confronted with water shortage I'M
less more wells are sunk Immediately,
once more forces upon the public mind
the tendency of the present city coun-
Gil to Never do anything today that
can be put off till tomorrow" The
head of the water supply department,
who offered different excuses for not
having sunk additional wells last sum-
mer, when it was known the supply
was growing short, now offers the eX-
cuse that the city is all ready to sink
twenty new wells-eXcept-that the
city lacks the pipe. Lack Of the pipe.
which. it is said, can be secured any
time, is due to a lack Of specifications
for lengths, not furnished to the de-
partment by the foreman. Nothing is
said, however as to the responsibility
OF the head Of the department in "go-
ing after the specifications if that was
all that was lacking. Procrastinatlon
appears to have been the golden rule
OF the present council. even to the eX
tent that patrons of the city are served
with a supply Of Iowa river sewage in
their drinking water
When it comes time to elect new
city council, let US hope that there will
be in the field of candidates men who
have some ideas of conducting bust
ness in businesslike way. The water
supply OF this city is its most valuable
asset. No business institution having
so valuable an asset would permit is
being operated in such a slip-shod way
conducted Ordinarily. If business
concern had some problem confront
ing it. problem that needed brains
and experience to solve. it would en-
ploy an expert to give advice. Mar
shalltown is growing: its needs in the
way of water are becoming greater
Possibly the present water field may
not be adequate in a few more years.
Perhaps it is adequate for many years
to come il sufficient wells are sunk
whichever may be the case. why
would 1t not be good business to en-
ploy an expert engineer who has had
experience in water supplies to advise
the city on what is the best course to
pursue, not only for present needs, but
for the future. This is the way any
set of business men would do in any
other business except the public's. The
most expensive thing a city pays for
is ignorance.
The automobile census taken by the
state shows that Marshall county is
indeed prosperous. if prosperity is to
be measured by the ability of its citi-
zens to own automobiles. In Iowa
there is an automobile for every twelve
people; in Marshall county one to
every eleven and one-haif persons
Altho automobiles are to cost more than
last year. local dealers are not worry
ing over their ability to sell all they
can secure from the manufacturers.
4
To have a veteran of the civil war,
confessing to three score years and
fifteen, win the county spelling match
over school children. probably demon
strates that when this civil war vet
eran learned to spell in the little old
red school house the method was such
that there was never any forgetting"
While there is being more attention
paid to spelling in the schools now
over what there was few years ago.
there is not as much as when our
grandfathers learned to spell The
method seems primitive now, perhaps,
but when once learned the words
stuck Possibly Mr.. Bousquet. Of
Pella, might be able to get job coach
ing poor spoilers in high schools,
where, in most instances, the field ap-
naarS to no fart;Io