Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-01-02
GOVERNOR CLkRkE'S SPECIAL
BOARD FILES ITS RECON-.
MENDATiCNS.
HARD ROADS POSSIBLE
AT PRESENT COSTS
Commission Recommends Program by
Which Permanent Highways Can &c
Built Without Increasing Taxes
Referendum en- County Bonding
Plan Suggested.
special to Times Republican,

Des MoincS, Jan. The report Oh
the roads CONN s. On apyJ.ntcd by
Governor CLARKE Eus been received mere
with much interest. he road dues
ton VIII be une oI me most prominent
ones which VIII be u>lure the incoming
general ass-nlu4N ,.nSI IN fact it has
played an !n.pU. ian, part in the polu-
cal discus iuna Tor the past St'el'
wears HcLcc such Il thorough ana
cumDrehens!yC discussion of road con-
ditions in the state as IS shown by the
report just filed with the governor IS
looked upon as a highly important con-
trbution to the discussion.
The most significant finding of this
commission is that every main traFelr"
road in the state could be permanently
surfaced without spending cent more
than is now being expended for the up
keep Of the present roads II all luhua
were properly expended and in accord
ance with a well worked out pan. The
report recommends a program ny
which permanent roads could be Dul!t
without costing any more than the
present roads cost.
Commissions Program.
This program includes the following:
II Give the people authority IN
townships, counties and special DIS
tricts to pledge revenues for reasonable
times for a. payment of the cost OF
highways.
-. Build roads by large Contracts
thus reducing the costs.
g. Anticipate taxes by means OF
county bonds only which sell at low in
terest rates.
f. Initiative and referendum, with
the county as unit for bonding per
manent road building.
- Use of the motor or vehicle tax
by the county governments exclusively
for highway Improvement.
g Provide a state fund. if nec"s-
sary to secure to Iowa benefits Of fed
eral road aid and derive this from auto
taxes
II. Give power for the creating of
special road districts which shall in
clude all benefited districts including
towns to which the roads lead.
49, Work convicts in loading gravel
for shipments from counties that have
a surplus to counties that are shy of
road material"
The report makes no recommends
ton with respect to the state highway
commission. AS to auto license funds
it says:
IF our auto license revenues were
devoted exclusively TO surfacing and
anticipated for ten years at Az per
cent we could expend as much as 81
900 mile on sixty miles of graveled
roads in every county in the state and
pay the entire cost with average inter
est in ten annual payments out Of our
auto license revenues alone.
State Bonding Plan.
The commission also suggests
state bond plan as follows: IF our
state constitution could he amended so
as TO permit state bonds to be sold and
the proceeds loaned to the counties the
states credit would sell at 3 per cent.
If loaned to the counties for road work
at per cent the profit would amortize
tht principal in twenty eight years and
the taxpayer never would need pay
anything more than the interest charge
for his roads
The board declares that from dat in
the office Of the state highway COM
mission it is found that only 7S5 miles
of the 1876 in the county road system
have been put to permanent grade in
the past three years whereas the engi
neers' rough estimate shows the entire
county road system could be pat to
permanent grade ready for surflCing
for a little more than the taxes We will
spend upon the county road system in
the next five years.
Governor Clarke appointed the road
commission at the suggestion of Ber-
nard Murphy. of Ninton. editor of the
Vinton Eagle. Editor Murphy had
seen such good results come from 9TH
err commissions Of non interested in
divlduals that he thought road COM
mission to study the road question
could be of more help to the coming
legislature in obtaiIins; Information on
this question than could possibly be
obtained in any other way. Governor
Clarke agreed with him and some
eighteen months ago appointed the fol-
lowing commissions:
d. w. Norris, .Jr., of Marsh1iltown.
editor and publisher of the Marshall
town TimesRepublican: Senator John
w. Foster of Guthrie Center, member
of the present senate. banker and pi
onecr in the work Of practical road de-
velopment: ]. G. Davis, Des Moines
attorney: G.: r.. Cameron, Alta prcsi-
dent Of the state board OF agriculture:
j. NJ. Brockway, author OF the bill pass
ed by the. Thirty-ffth general assem-
NY which creates the state highway
commission: E, Il. Meredith. Des
Moines, publisher. and E. f.. Rose
1t is anticipated that this report will
figure quite largely in the considera-
-