The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-08-06
Community Meeting at Belmont School
House Discusses Best Economy
In Spending Its Money Last
Evening.
OILED ROADS FAvoRITE
Four keokuk Men Called on for Ad.
vice and SummitviIIe Delegations
Tell Experience, After Which
Vote 10 for OIL.


road for several miles out of Keokuk,
was the question before a meeting OF
the Belmont community at the school
house last night.
1t was attended by nearly every.
body in the community, men and
women, and four Keokuk men. A dele
CATION from Summitville was also
there.
| Henry Weirather was chairman and
; explained that decision between oil
and gravel was the object Of the meet
ing, after speeches from the keokuk
men and talking 1t over.
The general discussion which came
during the meeting showed the oiled
road prime favorite, although the orl-
ginal idea had been to use gravel, be-
fore the matter was thoroughly inves-
/ tigated. Discrepancy in cost figures
for oiling appeared and furnished
about the only cause for hesitation IN
forming fixed opinion. Some were
as low as $3.50 a mile and others as
high as 5000 mile. while gravel
would cost 5000 a mile, 1t was stated
A number of men present expressed
their conversion from gravel to oil as
the better road material
/ OIL Is Favorite.
! The subscriptions of money were
based on making a gravel road and
Azingers were the only two at the
meeting who gave notice Of with
drawing subscriptions unless gravel is
used.
A vote on preference between oil
and gravel resulted unanimously for
oil, and some voters were applauded
when they explained they meant
road oiled right.
/ At the beginning Of the meeting,
Henry Weirather, the chairman, said
the object of the meeting was to deter.
mine how to improve roads best with
money available. The Belmont neigh.
borhood subscribed s1,115 and Keokuk
people $500, besides the $500 the town.
ship agreed to spend on the middle
road. There Is s1,670 to work on
now, and $500 is expected to be sub.
scribed later. The township fixes the
road from Prices Creek hill to the
bridge.
Chairman Weirather made pertinent
remarks between the set speeches OF
the Keokuk men, asked them ques-
tions, and otherwise made the meet
ing better one.
Is sure to Come.
You have a community here that
I'm proud of - said l.. A. Hamill, the
first speaker, land good roads today
mean more to us than any other
thing for which movements are
started
He then told Of roads in New York
state, in the wilds among uneducated
people, where complete hard roads
have been built. They began with
oiled dirt roads fifteen years ago, but
now are building concrete roads.
The cost of taking farm products
to market was discussed by Mr.
Hamill and the saving by real perma-
nent roads shown as a profit.
You're going to come to 1t sooner
or later whatever you think now" was
his slogan.
He recommended brick as superior
to concrete for permanent roads be-
cause brick allows gas and water
pipes to be run under the road to farm
houses.
Will Pay Tenfold.
You should be congratulated on
making this start" said c. D. Streeter,
llc SeCOuu SpedkSI, WIZ lcldlcQ opocA-
vations on Iowa roads.
He said he believed that If the
middle road is improved it will carry
more traffice than the lake shore road.
After travelling all kinds Of road, he
said he is sure the oiled road, properly
constructed, Is the best road for that
vicinity.
Mr.. Streeter went into details Of
,nfh ~
oiled road this fall and next spring,
road engineering.
roads will add ten dollars to the value
conclusion.
Oiled Roads Praised.
my opinion Is that an oiled road is
the best road for hereabouts" said
T. R. Bartholomew in the beginning of
the third speech Of the evening Then
he told instances he knew of in Hi.
nois where the oiled road was better
than stretches of other roads nearby.
Mr.. Bartholomew gave some figures
of cost Of oiling roads properly which
ran to over $500 a mile, but suggested
economies possible on the middle road.
He much prefers oil to gravel as
road material. as did Mr.. Streeter.
William Kite told how piece Of
oiled road near Summitville has re-
suited in many people prefering 1t to
concrete road, and said: I'm my
opinion the oiled road Is the best of
all"
SummitviIle For OIL.
H. 8. Brown, of Summitville, said
all who read the petition in his store
signed one asking for oiled road in
stead of hard surfaced road.
"a majority Of the people in the
country are In favor Of oiled road" he
said.
Advantages to horses. farm machin-