Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1919-06-18
HAS TWO MILLION,
CAN'T COLLECT IT.
Large Sum in Federal Aid for Road
Fund Placed to Iowa's Credit.
Amounts to S2,00O,OO0.
STATE MUST MATCH SUM
DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR
Therefore Must Wait Collection OF
State Taxes and Until Aug, 1
to Make Federal Fund
Available.

/ Des Moines.-Iowa has $4,000, 900
federal aid money for road building
coming to it Aug. / which IT can not
collect. The federal aid road law
requires that the state securing gov
eminent money for road building
must, among other things, put up
dollar for dollar with the govern
ment on road building. The state
will not be able to do this Aug. 1.
However, with the increased auto
mobile license fees going into effect
this coming Dec. 1, the state will be
able next spring to go fifty fifty with
the government in putting UP road
money and will then be able to col
lect this 100000, together with
the further allotment due at that
time.
Automobile money to the extent of
about a million and half will be dis
tributed Aug. /. This will be the
! first distribution since the new road
law went into effect The new law
requires that all of this money be
spent on the primary roads, either in
draining, grading or hard surfacing.
, Hence in order to use its next al
lotment legally each county must
spend the money putting its pri-
mary roads in shape for future per-
manent surfacing.
Road improvement work contract
ed for before this new road law went
into effect can be paid for out of this
money, however. This is provided for
in the new law.
Money Available in 1920.
BY the spring of 1920 it is evident
that there will be a considerable
amount of primary road money from
the auto license fees and from the
federal aid available for permanent
road building. Jnasmuch as it is
available for that purpose only, that
is for the building of such permanent
roads as the government will APP
prove, which in reality means hard
surfaced roads, it is apparent that
there will be every inducement to
proceed under the new law and hard
surface the primary roads. -
In the meantime the country roads
other than those designated as pri-
mary roads will have more money at
their disposal than ever before, as a
general tax will be spread on all
property of the county to be used on
the roads other than the primary
roads.
Black Hawk Lends Way.
The news OF the successful out
come of the election in Black Hawk
county under the new road law where
the voters cast practically a two to
one vote for hard surfaced roads
has been received here with much in
terest. 1t is especially noted that the
voters took advantage of the most
expedious method of surfacing the
entire primary road system OF the
county, that Of issuing bonds to the
extent of $1,50O,0O0.
Black Hawk county, it is recog-
nized, will not only be the first
county in the state to build hard sur
faced roads under this new law but
it will also set the example for the
counties in the state, one good road
deserves another, progressive road
men say, and with one county hard
surfacing its inter county or primary
roads, the adjoining county is not
apt to remain long a mud roads
county.
Hard Surfacing Sentiment.
If bonds are issued the payments
can be spread out over period OF
years and the cost Of paving can
| thus be paid almost in full from
auto license revenues and federal
! aid
| There are a number of factors now
influencing the trend toward nara
surfaced roads. The increased use or
automobiles and trucks, the evident
inability to maintain passable roads
for a considerable portion OF the
year without hard surfacing, the
comparatively easy method OF Sc
curing hard surfaced roads under
the new law and the refusal OF the
government to spend its money for
road work except where permanent
roads are constructed.
Added to these factors is the pow
err of example and the object les
sons which well paved counties VII
set to adjoining counties. 1t Is
recognized that the towns and cities
which do not have paved highways
leading into them will lose grea'
deal of business to those center'
which can be reached by paved high
ways.