Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-06-14

The graduation exercises this pass
week, both at the Methodist church on
Sunday and at the Odscn Friday night
where less than half the people eou'9
be admitted VINO wished 10 attend, en-
phasized the fact that this town mas
completely outgrown the seating ca
pacity of It's two largest auditoriums'
Twenty five years ago, when the Meth-
odist church and the Odeon were pu'it.
Marshalltown had i0.o4s people ana
there were no automobiles to DRINK
folks from distance to our meetings.
Today Marshalltown has fully 10000
inhabitants within its city limits ana
the automobile has moved nQre than
twice the rural population UP to town
that was adjacent In the days OF old
Dobbtn and Jerry and the two-seated
surrey. Today we need not less than
double the seating capacity that was
adequate twenty-five years ago. ana
twenty five years hence we will have
to double that.
Auditoriums cost money, OF course.
and II is a real problem to raise the
money equitably and to put the build
ing TO enough use to Justify the invest
ment. For state conventions only II Is
not Justifiable. Pasadena out in CAL
ifornia has solved the problem admir-
ably by incorporating fire proof COM
muuity auditorium in its new high
school plant. In this way twenty five
year bonds We're issued for the cost to
be paid in twenty-five annual install
ments by very small tax, which was
borne fairly by everybody. Not only
was the burden equitably distributed
the first year but taxpayers OF future
years will help pay for the building
they will use and the cost was very
slight for anyone. The high school
students at Pasadena use their audi
day and the people OF the city use 1t
for all Of their large meetings evening
or day time.
Such building in Marshalltown
costing $780, 900 could be erected by the
school district from the proceeds of a
bond issue at a cost Of $500 per an
mum for average interest and annual
payment upon the principal. TINS
would cost us 80 cents per capita the
first year but probably not more than
Is cents per capita the last year when
population had doubled. If the SOL
diers memorial building can be put
over for the entire county to use q
county bond issue and tax would spread
out thinner as more people and NOR
property would contribute toward the
annual tax. 4
a
Unless Marshall county holds an
election end votes tn authorize it's conn
ty board to apply for federal and state
aid for paved roads there will be nc
money available after this year for any
work on our primary roads such as the
Lincoln highway, the North Third ave-
nue. road and the road to Laurel. All
of our auto license money after this
year has been appropriated for the
state aid fund to match federal aid
dollar for dollar and the, only way we
can get it back is to comply with the
federal governments requirements
which are that primary roads must be
paved and then we can get our own
auto money plus an equal amount Of
Uncle Sans money. Failure to so vote
constitutes waiver Of our rights to
our share of either federal money or
auto license money and leaves no other
money in the primary road fund
Some other county like Black Hawk.
which has voted to apply for federal
aid, can apply for our portion Of fed
eral funds and our auto license money
as well to pave roads out Of Waterloo