Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-02-10

owners near Mason City to contribute
$4,000 per mile for a paved road and
the raising OF $500 in contributions
for mile Of paved road in Marshall
county convince us that land owners
appreciate the special benefit to be de-
rived and are willing to be assessed
for It. All roads can not be perma-
nently improved at once and 1t Is only
by assessing for this special benent
that taxes can be equalized as between
the land owner nearest and those more
remote from the Improvement.
Should Assess Nearby Land.
From the zone plan in Utah to the
assessing for one mile back in each
direction from the Improvement as
practiced In Indiana, Ohio and Mis-
souri, the methods are varied, but we
are convinced that from 20 to 80 per
cent Of the cost Of surfacing a road.
exclusive Of the grading Of any road,
could equitably be assessed to land
lying nearer to that road than to any
other road which has been surfaced
and such provision ought to be made
in our statutes wherever township or
county roads are being improved by
township or county boards. 1t Is not
so important when assessing under
special district law because enough
roads are then improved within a dis
trict to distribute the special benefit
equitably thru special levies upon all
property within the district.
The equitable distribution OF the
first cost Of any long time improve
ment over the period of time In which
1t is to be used can be accomplished
only by anticipating taxes with bones,
We have conferred with those VINO
buy public bonds and we have IN
quired into the experience OF other
states where all permanent road ana
bridge work is financed with bonds
and we are convinced that next 10
state bonds the lowest rate Of inter-
est can be obtained upon public credit
by issuing bonds which Will be the
direct obligation Of the counties. Such
an issue was sold by Marshall county
this month for bridge work at net
interest cost of AS per cent. 1t Is
our belief that the bonds should al
ways be county bonds no matter
whether the tax levies from which the
county will pay the obligation are as
sessed as county levies. special dis
trict levies or special benefit levies
on property near by the Improvement.
The county credit stands highest IN
.he r,anc; markets OF the world, next
m that Of the state. and the state, or
the county can well afford to lend It's
credit to any special district within It's
horders All the county government
needs for its .ecurity is the legal ana
valid pledge to it's bond fund or tax
leyies. either within its own power 10
make or properly pledged by any other
taxing power 1t would be unwise TO
create any new bonding units or add
anv more road officials as such law
would have to be tested In court De-
fore bonds could be readily sold under
its provisions.
Debt Should Be Paid Gradually.
Whenever tax levies for any period
of wears are anticipated by bonds the
bonds should mature in equal serial
payments so as to insure to tho tax
paying public that the debt will have
been discharged as rapidly as the i'm
provement wears out. The state OIL
New Jersey has recently provided by
statute QeIlnlte llIlltS Va llAiS Aoi peiioS
which vary according to the estimated
life of the improvement. said limit o.
time being shorter for gravel than foi
pavement. In our Judgment, general
provision requiring approval of any
bond issue by the state highway COM
mission would insure careful restraint
Of bonds under advice from our own
experienced engineers. Generally bonds
in other states run for ten years for
crawling and from twenty to fifty
years for paving or bridges, the aver
age for all the states being twenty
eight years. With reasonable allow
ance for maintenance paving can just
ly be distributed over the tax levies Of
twenty-five years. while a modern con-
crete bridge would outlast even a fifty
year bond and permanent road grade
protected with surfacing would endure
forever
convicts to Furnish Material.
In has excited our admiration to find
in many states and notably in Colo
RADIO, New York and California the
willingness of the people Of the whole
state to use funds Of all the people
with which to build special roads thru
mountains and far into the desert
where no road could ever be surfaced
from local funds. The example has
prompted us to suggest that our state