Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-10-19
LOCAL COMMENT

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Now that the arbitrator have al
lowed the local utilities company an in-
crease OF SO per cent In Its gas rates
aAd is per cent In it's rates for cleo
tricity the time has arrived for better
service. The public is entitled to gas
with heat units enough to do the cook
ing for which II is used. While the
company was floundering around with
fuel troubles and labor shortage due
to the war It was incumbent upon the
rest OF US to keep on smiling as we
must do in the face Of all Of our own war
troubles, but now the time has arrived
for service. n we must pay price and
q half for gas let's have the gas.
II everybody In Marshall county was
asked to buy bonds In Des Moines ana
subscribe TO the Red Cross In Des
Moines or to pay his poll tax In Des
Moines the plan would be no more OF
a boneheaded rule than the present law
which requires all auto licenses TO be
paid there. However. 637 delinquent
collections out of less than 5000 cars
in the county are too many to be ex-
cused. The law made them DELINQUENT
last April but they arrive in Marshall
town for collection in October. Many
have gone to the junk pile when old
cara have been wrecked. but many
heightened citizen II beating his way
over the public roads of this county by
some kind Of deception as to his num-
Der plates. People who suspect some
car should report its phony number to
the police or to the county attorney.
&
The new mill road now has fine'
grade thlewn up for highway but the
abyss on each side Is deep enough to
permit a car to turn over about twice
before it strikes the bottom should 1t
slip off the grade. In mountainous
countries where canons are really
feared such q road would be guarded
on each side by a heavy white rail. If
someone comes to grief on this road
the city could easily be penalized for
negligence in not protecting such a
place. The county has begun the erec-
ton Of guard rails on its dangerous
highways and it is an excellent precau-
ton against needless deaths.
Tha police did well to dispense the
juve lie mob that threatened race
riot. These things are laughing mat
ters ntil they get to going and then
some, ody gets killed and we all wonder
why the trouble was not suppressed at
the beginning. The tine to stop thing
like race rioting is before it starts.
The county treasurer has made an
excellent suggestion to friends and rela-
tives of enlisted men to pay their taxes
for them so as to avoid delinquency.
Taxes collected this year are really last
years taxes which were due Jan. l..
Men enlisted since then are not alb
solved from taxes which were due be-
fore they enlisted. Don't let our fight
ing men worry about their affairs at
home. Somebody can afford to stand
by them to the extent of protecting
their property interests, During civil
war times those at home took care of
the wives and families of enlisted men.
Most of the shortage IN meeting our
countys quota for war savings stamps
lies within the city itself. Liberty loans
are distributed between the city and
town on the basis Of property values
which gives the city one-fifth and the
country four-fifths. but war savings
stamps are distributed ON the basis
OF population which gives the city one
half Of the county's quota. The gov
ernment's original idea was that wage
workers IN the towns should buy
stamps out of their weekly wages,
while the farm owners with real estate
as the basis Of credit could borrow in
large amounts for bonds. Wage work.
ers, however have shown decided
preference for bonds. This has caused
the stamp sales to lag until the city
alone must buy from $4,000 to 100000
before Dec. 1. It is time every
family in this city added at least SO
per cent to its previous purchase in
order to lend to their government as
much money as has been asked Of them
to be used in waging the war. Nearly
all of the rural precincts are up close
to their allotments or are over. Volun-
teer. Don't wait for the war service
league to draft you with their allotment