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

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next to nothing In the three years 80
far. Fifty-seven counties have as yet
done no surfacing at all upon their
main roads designated as the county
road system. Only PA miles of county
roads In the entire state have been sur
faced after three years Of progress at
high rate Of expenditure. This Is
progress at the rate of seventy miles
year; a rate which can not surface
the county roads alone short Of 200
years unless accelerated by some
change in our present methods. By
contrast Ohio and Indiana have al
ready surfaced roads equivalent TO
twice our entire county road system in
each state; Minnesota has five times
the number of miles surfaced that we
have, Missouri eight times and Illinois
eleven times. In all of these states
the first cost Of surfaced road Is dis
tributed pro rata over the tax pay
ments of short period Of years.
In several Of our counties boards OF
supervisors have seen the necessity OF
anticipating fixed revenues so as to 90
the permanent grading within the next
few years and they have sold county
bonds at very low rates of interest to
provide the funds at once, which
bonds will be paid out of taxes that
will be collected in the near future.
This is the established custom now IN
all states, and it prevails in Al per cent
Of all the counties Of all the states for
distributing the cost of permanent
road work equitably over the tax
ing period in which the Improvement
is to last. A hill cut to grade will stay
cut forever, gravel once placed can ne
cheaply maintained forever. pave
ments built, will endure from twenty
to thirty years and bridges Of re-en-
forced concrete will last 100 years or
more. It is our firm conviction that
our highways and bridges should be
built of permanent types Of construc-
ton Just as we build our court houses
and our school houses and that the
first cost shopld be distributed over
period Of years approximating the life
Of the Improvement in the same man
ner in which we are accustomed to
finance all other public works.
Anticipate Fixed Taxes.
Having discovered that nearly all
highway improvements in other states
have been financed and the more per-
manent work made possible there by
anticipating taxes, we confidently urge
that the people of this state be given
ample authority in townships, coun-
ties and special districts to pledge
their revenues for reasonable periods
OF time for the payment of the cost
OF their highways as they Use eAe...
The same rate Of taxation or less is
accomplishing vastly more surfscing
and more permanent grading in other
states by the partial payment plan,
while we seem to have been taxing
our people more heavily for our
piecemeal plan Of construction.
Large contracts let to experienced
men with efficient equipment have re-,
duced costs in many counties in this
state. Crawford county reduced grad
ing from 2S cents to Is cents per cubic
yard, and Clay county reduced hauling
of gravel from 80 cents per load to
80 cents by cont + citing in large units.
knowing this and realizing that such
in costs are possible only by
making several years taxes available
at once We have pursued a very care
full investigation as to methods Of dis
tributing the tax burden and of A.
nancing which prevail in other states
from which we have been satisfied that
no material change should be made
In our present classification Of roads
under township and county jurisdic-
ton. we find everywhere that the
first step toward road Improvement
has been the selection Of main trav-
e,ed roads upon which said improve
ment can first begin and this has al
ready been done in the designation Of
our county road system and the levy
ing Of special taxes for It.
Keep Township Roads and Commission
Our local roads, by roads or sec
ondary roads as they are variously
designated in many states, can be inn
proved either thru the present town
ship unit or thru the special district
plan as prevails with marked sue
cess in Missouri, Texas, Arkansas and
several other states. We find great
being made in several states
by designating state road system
and providing for construction by the
state, but 1t Is our belief that our
present plan of construction by the
and by the townships with
only general engineering supervision
from the state will give US good re-
suits. 1t is far more constructive at