Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-04-10
sussR AMENDMENTS WITH ONE
EXCEPTION VOTED DOWN
az IOWA SENATE.
DEBATE NOT CONCLUDED
As EXPECTED WEDNESDAY
Buser Amendment Making Submission
to vot. Of Question Of Hard surfae.
ing Goes over-Pitt and Other Mud
Readers Speak in Opposition to
Measure.
Special to Times Republican.


Des Moines, April l0.-After debat-
ing the road bill continuously from 10
o'clock wednesday morning until $3.50
the Iowa senate adjourned without
taking vote on the main question. A
test vote came on the Buser amend
mont which was defeated 81 to 90.
Senator Bueer struck out OF his
amendment MS voted on the section
providing for putting the question of
hard surfacing up to vote Of the peo-
pie This was submitted in separate
amendment and was under debate at
adjournment. Senator Balkema as
chairman Of the senate committee on
highways opened the debate on the
hill as il passed the house. He declared
that every man. woman and child In
the state was interested either direct
~ or indirectly in the passage of the
measure and that it was one of the
most important measures which had
ever come before an Iowa legislature
In explaining the measure he
pointed out that the bill divided the
roads of the state into two systems.
the primary system including all o.
the intercounty roads Of the state and
comprising some 5000 miles. or about
6 per cent of the roads of Iowa. and
the secondary roads. which included
all but intercounty roads.
He further explained that the county
had three options as to Improvement
A county may elect to do the gra ding
and draining before going on with the
surfa cling. Or it may choose to drain.
grade or hard surface a certain por-
ton of the rood. Or it may issue bonds
on vote Of the people and improve or
hard surface all of it's roads without
waiting for the funds to come in from
year to year.
The Assessment Plan.
He pointed out that assessment dis
tricts would he formed extending for
a mile and half back from each side
of the proposed highway. explaining
that at the present estimated cost OF
$4,000 per mile for improving and
hard surfacing the roads the tracts
bordering the hard surfaced highway
would have to pay s. per acre for
hard surfaced roads, the next forty
acres hack 81. the next forty back
from the road SO, the next 50 and the
next 81.
Senator Busers amendment provided
that the township get one third of the
auto license funds and the primary
road two-thirds instead OF all OF the
license money and federal aid going
to the hard surfaced road improve
ment Senator Balkema met this OBJ
lection by stating that the general
the entire county in the proposed road
bill. which would give township roads
more money for roads than they have
now. as the cities do not now pay any
of this levy.
Senator Buser would have taken
away much of the power given the
highway commission in the original
bill and given it to the supervisors. He
also endeavored to correct the section
providing for the crawling Of roads
saying it was meaningless.
The amendment to submit the ques-
ton of hard surfacing to a vote of the
people was proposed by Senator Price
and it was this that the senate was
UeDdtlnS WHEN was
taken at $50 last evening to resume
debate>at o'clock this morning.
Senator Price charged that the bill
as presented was drawn in inquiry in
asmuch as influences outside of the
senate, mentioning Woodwork Clum
and Joe Long, of the Greater Iowa
Association, had inspired much of it.
Pitt Feminist It.
Senator Pitt, of Harrison county. in
opposing the measure declared If this
amendment was not adopted ne
would go out two years hence and
make campaign for governor as
mud roads candidate but that if it
was adopted he would support the
bill. He declared that no senator had
gone into the question Of upkeep of
these paved roads which he said
amounted to as much as $500 per mile:
He declared that the cost of paved
roads had not been fairly estimated,
saying that the Camp Dodge road cost