The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-06-02
The Principal Worries of the Road
Builders of the State of Iowa
Have No Existence
Here.
INDUSTRY HERE
Quarries Near keokuk Furnish the
Principal Supply of Crushed
Rock Which Is Needed for
Perfect Doad.


plenty Of material to make hard
roads, under the federal aid act.
Federal aid road building funds
may be used in Iowa for grading,
draining, graveling and oiling as
well as for hard surfacing," j. w.
Eichinger, of the state highway COM
mission, explains
He says the commission has made
no ruling that such funds are to be
used exclusively for hard surfacing
and further states the commission
has never considered such ruling,
has no authority to make such a
ruling and does not desire that fed-
eral authorities issue such an order.
"The report that the fund is for
hard surfacing only, is absolutely
false" said Eichinger, "and no cred
ence should be given it. Such re-
port could and would be used to IN
fair advantage in counties where
hard surfacing propositions are up
for vote"
This suggests the wide difference
between Lee county and many of tie
other counties in Iowa, where lock
in any form suitable for roads must
be shipped long distances at heavy
expense.
How We are Fortunate.
1--WE people here are apt to assume
that crushed rock or gravel is to be
obtained anywhere, like weeds, or
water" said a Keokuk man today,
"but there are plenty OF places IN
Iowa where any form of rock is a
commodity like coffee, or bricks, or
hydraulic cement.
"As matter of fact rock is shipped
from Keokuk quarries clear to the
Missouri river, by the hundreds of
carloads, and thousands of carloads
in some years. The freight is a large
part of the cost layed down in Shen-
andoah. for instance-and large
quantities of rock have gone from
Keokulc to that city in the past.
while we here do not think OF
any road except a rock road being a
really permanent road, in the most
of the state the people are puzzling
their heads over how to escape using
rock for roads--solely on account OF
the cost.
What Causes the Arguments.
THAT is what has caused the argu-
ment and more or less political row
over good roads in Iowa-and why
1t seems SO foolish to us here and
people farther east who like us have
abundance Of rock.
ALSO, that is why there Is the
gravel faction and the crushed rock
faction among the hard roads advo-
Gates.
"There is some gravel at some in
terror points in Iowa, with Ottumwa
probably the leading center OF the
gravel industry.
"But the simple fact is, that the
only Seally high standard crushed
stone in Iowa comes from keokuk,
except a smaller quantity of equally
good rock from Buffalo, in the North
east corner of the state.
Another Angle OF View.
"The arguments about gravel aud
rocIc are much older than the coed
roads agitation. 1t is as old as The
making of concrete streets in cities.
"The people with gravel to sell,
and the contractors looking fof more
nrofit have advocated gravel as the
rock OASIS VI COACi - ~oNNS~ >
everybody here knows that it Is pot
as good as crushed rock, but an argu'
ment can be started about that UP
state, especially where the gravel pit
men are infuential-and /. mas oeen
used a good deal because cheaper III
the beginning than crushe1 rock for
concrete streets.
"But the main thing IS. that seat
tered all over the state are counties
an6 communities still trying to con-
vince themselves and others that a
good road may be made by treating
the Iowa soil with drainage, grading
and sometimes oilins-which overy'
body who has driven an aut >mo'lle
much over Iowa knows is fallaoy,
especially for some time after rain.
'"That is why the state hignwsy
commission thinks it important to
issue the notice you show ne. But
It doesn't have much bearing TN Lee
county with its inexhaustible supply
i IL OF