Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-01-03
STATE HIGHWAY COMMISSION
MAKES FRANK STATEMENT
IN ANNUAL REPORT.
HARD. SURFAClNG WORK
NECESSARILY LIMITED
Gravel Not Sufficiently Durable For
Roads Near Cities Where Traffic Is
Heavy-GraveI Properly Cared For
Held to Be Best lnvestment-Fifty-
six Counties Of State Have Material.
Special to Times Republican.


port filed with Governor Geo. sc W..
Clarke yesterday the state highway
commission makes recommendations as
to needed legislation, touches on the
question OF permanent hisnways and
reviews its activities IN th. past year.
The commission comes out frankly and
says that as TO sultac.ng Iowa must
still be content to use, Tor an indefinite
period, the ordinary earth road for the
greater percenIase OF Its highway trat-
TIC Inc report was presented to Coy
ernor Clarke yesterday afternoon by al.
three members OF the highway COM
mission in person, j. w. Holden, ~
Scranton; II. &. Beard, of Mount Ayr,
and Dean A. Marston, of Ames. The
members were accompanied by Thomas
H. Mcdonald, of Ames, state highway
engineer.
The commission is of the opinion
that the only kind OF surfacins that
can be used extensively on the roads OF
the state under the present conditions
is Sraved,' says the report, or some
equally low cUst material. In the vi
cinity of large cities there is a limited
mileage which can not be maintained
economically with gravel surface. IN
general, however, where the natura!
earth roads can not be maintained
satisfactorily under the traffic, gravel
surface, properly cared for, will prove
the best present investment from the
standpoint Of both cost and service u
the public. Flfty-siX counties of the
state have deposits OF sand and gravel
varying from an abundance to only
limited quantities along streams. Nine
counties where there is little or no
gravel have limestone deposit
The subject Of railroad crossings
and the elimination of death traps foc
autoistS has been given much sluuy by
the commission. Twelve crossings have
been eliminated entirely and twenty
four improved under plans and work
done by the commission during 1916.
Out Of a total cost of $110,259 the rail-
roads paid about 62 per cent and the
counties SO per cent.
Legislation Recommended.
AS 70 Legislation the state highway
commission among other things says:
The foundation of the Iowa road
laws is good and on this foundation is
being built an administrative system
adequate to the needs of the state.
During the preceding sessions OF the
general assembly all Of the principal
road laws have been completely revised
and no general or rat ical changes are
now necessary. Business efficiency, the
elimination of so-called red tape can
be secured by careful study of the
,ix.av, TO MT Sh1 tot fro ,,I
receive legislation.
Two kinds OF legislation are needed.
The first consists OF number of sim
plifying acts which will eliminate fric-
ton and produce more direct results.
The end will be gained in part by re-
pealing acts or parts Of acts which
have long outlived their usefulness and
in part by simplifying others. We now
have a number of old statutes which
seriously conflict with later acts but
which have not been expressly re-
pealed and thus are included in the
most recent code supplements. Such
conflicting statutes lead to much UNI
certainty on the part of road officers
and to needless reports, notices anil
unnecessary expense. The state of New
York, when confronted by a situation
Of this kind repealed by direct action
Worn out statutes and simplitied living
statutes into a single easily UNDER
standable set of road laws.
The second kind of legislation is Of
the constructive type. There is seri-
Gus need for the state to foresee the
changes that are. taking place in
highway administration, construction,
maintenance and traffic and to meet or
regulate these changes by Legislative
enactment. Regulatory measures will
injure no property or other rights II
inausurated in anticipation of the ac-
quirement Of those rights. Motor truck
traffic, for instance, is just developing
in this state but it has already become
serious problem in the eastern states.
1t will cause the state of Iowa much
less embarrassment to provide regula-
tory measures for this traffic now than
after it becomes wei! established.'
Other Recommendations.
The commission recommends the re"
peal of section 1927 f, 1913 supplement
on the question Of permanent road i'm
provement districts. The commission
does not consider that its provisions
are equitable or that a satisfactory
district plan could be written on this
foundation.
The commission recommends that
the weed law be rewritten and that the
board of supervisors be given the same
authority with reference to destroying
weeds on the county roads as the trus-
tees have with reference to township
roads. The commission also recon-
mends the repeal Of section 1570-bl u
the 1913 supplement relative to road
drag districts and requiring the APP
pointment Of a township drag super
Fintendent: The provisions Of this law
have been supplanted by more recent