Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-09-29
LOCAL COMMENT

1t always requires a fire with It's loss
or imminent danger to cause people to
review their hazards and insure their
risks. For twenty-five years or more
the old lumber shed has stood as a
menace to the business district and old
frame feed sheds have stood nearly
always ready to spread any fire or even
to start new one on their own
account. We have all known that they
endangered all other property but until
a big fire started none of us realized
how dangerous they were. We will
probably have a spasm of cleaning up
all around town and insurance agents
will write easy business for few
months and then we will lapse again
while property owners put off renew
ing their policies and permit premises
to accumulate inf1ammable piles Of re-
fuse. A systematic inspection by the
firemen as a police force would greatly
help to prevent fires and might even
reduce our insurance rates. However,
a careful study of the separate charges
which go to make up a rate for in
surance will save money for every
property owner in the city. He can get
the basis of his rate from his agent.
The T.-R. reduced it's rate almost to
half by making such an analysis of its
board rate.
Next week visiting delegation from
the Greater Iowa Association and the
Marshalltown Club will attempt to stir
up enthusiasm for goods that are made
in Iowa. Their theory Is that money
spent for Iowa goods employs Iowa
labor and builds up Iowa towns which
make better markets and nearer
markets for Iowa farm products. 1t
may seem strange to some but it is
rather difficult to find anything wrong
with the theory.
It also follows that goods made in
Marshalltown help all mems business
in Marshalltown and the country
around A factorys pay roll percolates
into the stores for merchandise and
for houses and pays taxes so that
Marshalltown money spent for goods
made in Marshalltown comes back to
everybody who resides within trading
distance Of Marshalltown Why should
it require exhortation to make people
realize facts which are so apparent?
County Agent Buchanan has been
investigating the number of silos in
this county and finds approximately
300 on Marshall county farms. He Is
enthused because about seventy five
have been erected this summer but
when a cynic figures that there are at
least 2,100 farms in this county he
brutallN remarks that 1880 farm owners
must be dead ones on the silo.question.A
silo is either a good investment or it Is
not. If it is no farm owner can afford
to be without and an easy way to find
out whether an added profit to farm is
being passed up is to ask some good
farmer who has one. It is cinch
that silos could not be profitable to 300
farms in this county without being
loss to the 1900 farms which have none.
If this newspaper had been asked to
guess at the number of silos in Mar
shall county it would have estimated
at least half as many as there are
farms.
If the old concrete pavements are to
be repaired this year to prevent erosion
at the cracks the work must be done
this month. Property owners who are
paying paving taxes should demand
that their investment be protected
from needless deterioration and it is
the business Of the city street depart
ment to have the work done.
Marshall county will have two