The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1917-04-14
WILL CURB ROAD BOOSTERS
State Highway Commission May Find
1t Necessary to Apply the Brakes
Planning Work.

Kansas is planning an extensive
road construction campaign this sea-
son. The enthusiasm just now for
hard surfaced roads is so great that
there is danger of overriding things.
Already murmurs are heard that Kan
sas is going crazy" over road work.
Members of the commission realize
that new law can be overworked
as well as underworked. In other
words, if too much work is mapped
out for the first year and taxes are
materially increased the farmers, in
their fury, may swoop down in the
next legislature and repeal the law.
So the commission will apply the
brakes to the oVer-enthusiastic road
boosters.
There will be available on July I
about $4,000 of federal funds for
road work in Kansas. The various
counties must match this amount, at
least. The money can only be spent
on permanent roads and the commits
sion must first map out a fiVe-year
program of road work and have it ap-
proved by the federal commission be-
fore any federal aid can be secured.
This will be one of the first duties
the new state commission will per-
form. In the program it viii aim to
cover roads from one county seat to
another and between all important
market centers. Some of the big in
terstate thoroughfares will be in
cluded; perhaps most of them While
the government offers to pay so per
cent of the cost of road it is planned
to spread federal money out timer
than that.
Sues Teacher for hipping-Miss
Edna L. Johnson, county superin-
tendent of public instruction, has been
sued in the district court by H H
Reynolds, father of Ralph Reynolds,
pupil in a rural school near Arkan-
sas City, for $4,000 damages Rey-
nolds alleges his sons head was jam
med against a blackboard.
College President Dead L. Tuck
er, president of the Kansas Wesleyan
Business College at Salina, died early
the other morning. He was SO years
old.
Tear Down German FIag.-When
Hutchinson militiamen learned that a
German flag adorned the wall of the
GRADER Supply Company there they en-
tered the place and tore the emblem
down.
Big Fire at Hoisington.-Two fires
here shortly after midnight burned the
Missouri Pacific bridge over Dry Run
and two residences and a livery
stable at Hoisington. The bridge fire
did not put the main line track out
of commission, although switching in
the yards was delayed several hours
x
Prairie Fire in Kansas prairie
fire originating near the Rock Island
the sand hills for thirty miles the 9TH
er day. Several farmers lost their
entire property, while others saved
only their houses. A high wind pre-
vailed.
Five Hundred Men to Build Road
Five hundred men with teams will
hold a good roads working meeting
They expect to put ten miles of high
way in condition for travel
4 4
Hurt in Auto Accident-Dean Davis,
Chanute hardware dealer, was dan
gerously injured and E. S. Taylor, a
Chanute druggist, received minor In
juries near Ottawa when an automo-
bile turned over into a ditch
Flags on Rural Mail Boxes.-Farm-
ers along the rural routes in Ford
county are showing their patriotism
by placing flags on their mail boxes.
Mayor Hale OF Dodge City, issued a
proclamation asking townspeorle to
hy flags on houses, schools and bust
ness buildings.