Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-01-27
SOMETHING ooop CERTAIN TO
y sE DONE sv LEGISLATURE
AT PRESENT SESSION.
MOVEMENT TAKING SHAPE
TO LIFT IOWA OUT OF MUD.
No Evidence o. Influence Of any Organ
isatisn Fer Any Special Kind Of Road
improvements - Joint cenfsrsree
This Week 10 Seek Starting Point
Fer Legislation.
speelal to Times .Republican.

bcS MoineSA Jan. I1.-Tne joint con
ference OF the highway committees o,
both house and senate. which was sug
sested at the opening Of the presen,
session OF the Thirty eighth assembly
probably will be, held the latter parl
Of this week. The purpose OF the con :
ference is to draw out the various and
sundfy views OF the legislators on tho
road question.
The frst meetings Of both the house
and senate committees on roads
salready have been held. Discussion
WAS more or less informal at these
meetings. In the house committee
meeting particularly the members were
free TO give their views and state
what they thought the people back
home favored. From these prelimin-
AIRY meetings the indications now point
TO legislation which will give each
county a. chance to vote on surfacing
its roads or on any road Improvement
involving considerable expenditure Of
money and also voting on whether
they favor IN issue Of county bonds
10 pay for the improvements.
Advanced Steps Foreeastsd.
Apparently Iowa Is on the eve of
some advanced steps in road making
The discussions of recent years. the
defeat Of the mud roads program IN
! the house two years ago, the retiring
of many Of the legislators in various
counties over the state who were con-
sidered unprogressive on road matters.
the increasing and ever increasing use
nc he 80 T..
FEASIBILITY Of Iowa roads this winter
since about Thanksgiving day. the
knowledge that Iowa is annually
spending $15,000.000 for road up-keep
and maintenance which Is providing
nothing, permanent, these and other
elements have been entering into the
Z leaven which has been working in re-
cent months to bring about an era of
permanent road Improvements in the
state.
There is absolutely no evidence that
any special influence IL being brought
TO bear on the Legislators by any or
ganization favoring any particular
kind of road. Various Iowa organi-
zations are OF course indorsing this
\ ard indorsing that kind d road in,-
provements or road system but no
pressure can be discerned to put thru
anI special program. And further
more from the makeup Of the mem
hership In the present assembly 1t
would not appear that any special pro-
gram would get far, for the members
Appear to be acting with independence
and with the attitude of wishing fairly
to represent the sentiment in the COM
muni6es which sent them and give
Iowa the best roads possible under the
circumstances.
Seek Starting Point.
Hence the proposed Joint confer
cree to be held some time this week
is being looked forward to with in
ierest. Out of 1t hope is being enter
tanned that some common starting
roiIfs- can be arrived at from which
legislation ma3 be evolved which will
express as nearly as possible the pres
-cnt spirit to provide Iowa with per-
manent roads.
Senator Eugene Schaffter Of Ham
ilton county who succeeded Cady
Chase In the Thirty-serenth senatorial
district, believes that when the people
once use hard roads they will have no
other.
Il recall our experience In paving
the streets in Eagle Grove" said Sem
ator Schaffter. 'The street i live on
was one Of the first to be paved and
l was one Of the few living on the
street that favored the paving at the
time it was voted by the city council.
Now the residents along the street all
say it was tine best thing that was
ever done for that street, the putting
In of paving. ! am inclined to think
the permanent road will have much the
same experience-that once having So
cured permanent road its blessings
and benefits Twill be 80 well recog-
nized that opposition to surfaced per-
manent roads will dwindie away"
T. H. Mcdonald, chief engineer of the
state highway commission. is expected
to attend this weeks road conference
and give the benefit of mis- experience
and observation on road conditions.
cost Of improvements, the engineering
steps necessary and information OF
value which the highway commission
has worked out.