Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-12-21
LOCAL COMMENT

u ever there was an occasion for
shopethg early In order to avoid crowds
In the stores this Is the year. Scarcity
OF clerks due to war conditions and
the prevalence OF epidemic make II i'm
porative to observe the shop early rule
- never before. Begin right after
breakfast before the morning work In
the house Ii done. Let the country
folk have the afternoon or midday
Dperiods.
~ Christmas presents this year
select useful things. There is great
economic need in the land to avoid ex-
trAvASance as the general distribution
Of high wages and war prices for farm
products has stimulated rush for
merchandise which Is forcing prices
( still higher. Unless people as a nation
curb their buying higher prices will eat
up their war wages and income. BY
combining Christmas buying to the
things that would probably be needed
during the coming season no additional
pressure Is placed upon the markets.
The epidemic and bad roads have cur
tailed buying jim Marshalltown but pros
perity is here and this buying can only
Be delayed not prevented.
The state director Of war savings
stamp sales has ordered county chair
men in the counties which have not
yet met their quotas to have the banks
now take over for resale the entire
amount Of stamps unsoid at the CEN
trail post office. These are troubles
that need not worry Marshall county
whose people always make good on all
Of their war obligations. Even the
union war work fund which came az
ter the bottom had dropped out Of the
war is now over the top and Marshall
countys war record is established at
100 per cent up to the present Red
Cross membership drive.
Before the war absorbed all Of our
civil energies and before prices for
labor, teams and material went up so
high plan was proposed to Marshall
county for the paving of its Lincoln
highway and graveling all the rest OF
its county road system to be paid for
out Of present taxes applied as a sink
ing fund to county bonds for period
of fourteen years. The estimates had
the approval Of the state highway
commission and were reasonably ac-
curate as estimates go. If the project
had been carried out every town in
this county would now have about four
graveled or paved roads leading into it
and every farm in the county would
be within not to exceed two miles OF
such q hard road leading to its town.
But we didn't build the roads then and
we have gone on paying the same road
taxes ever since plus the mud tax
of wear and tear upon our vehicles and
business.
While all kinds of promotion schem-
es are being concocted to separate peo-
pie from their liberty bonds why not
go silently about with the suggestion
that war bonds would make hand
some contribution to the Y. W. c. A.
building which is to come in MARSHALL
town in the near future? The bonds
are paid for but should not be sold
for a year or more. They could be
deposited to the credit of the building
fund but their interest coupons retained
by the donor until the building has
been dedicated. Many public spirited
citizen would rather give his bonds now
than to dig up the cash later when
the building amp1ign Is On. Even.
war stamps which mature in four years
from Jan. would fit well into such a
fund.
The next addition to any Of the local
hospitals should be an isolation hos
pital for the treatment OF contagious
diseases by trained attendants. The
tales told by smallpox patients who
have been sent to the city's detention
hospital are anything but assuring to
hose who are infected with contagion
and the present emergency due to
epidemic has emphasized the need
Of a modern isolation ward under ex-
pert supervision of one Of the present
hospital arrangements The city gov
eminent should contribute regularly
toward the support of several free beds
in such a ward and the pest house"
down on the river bottom land should
be abandoned. 1t is medieval in
stitution.