Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-03-01

Unless the people OF this county
change their ways the government
will order another war stamp drive
and committees will be out collecting
on war stamp allotments. Marshall
county's quota for this year IL the
same as last years quota. over $SO,-
900 per month. and the allotted share
for each citizen is the same as his al
lotment was last year. However less
than $4,000 in war stamps have been
sold In the first two months of this
year while over $4,000 of last years
stamps have been redeemed. TIE
s. 900 is not so very much when IL is
realized that nearly 100000 are out
standing from last years sales but
Marshall county should have invested
in sIO0, 900 of this years stamps since
Jan. | to be up to date. Most people
seem to think that civilians can de-
mobilize when the army demobilizes.
They will wake up with n shock later
on TO learn that the fkhting is done
while the paying has just begun In
come taxpayers are learning Ii this
month. Everybody will find II out
before the governments war stamps
and victory bonds are sold.
II the school board had asked for
$500 900 with which to build a new
hich school such rs Mason City has
just completed and Fort Dodge has
voted a campaign would be put on
and the project put over at the cleo
tion but because the board prefers to
he conservative and feel its way along
preparing for future expansion by
asking for paltry $4,000 the board
Will probably be turned down. The
Tines-Republican would have much
more confidence in the school boards
ab lily to spend several hundred thou
sand dollars OF bond money wisely for
the very necessary extension to our
public school system than 1t has iii
the ability of the present field of city
council candidates 10 spend bond
money up 10 the city's legal limit Of
sts5 o0O without other limitation as
To the amount for the erection of an
electric light plant at present war
costs for copper, machinery and labor.
The school board evidently believes
in waiting until building costs come
down but tine members OF the social
ist party who present the electric
plant bond issue have no taxes to
lose and would prefer 10 do business
now with other peoples money rather
than wait for more favorable times.
IL the city should undertake to buy
the present electric light plant eXclus-
i've OF the street railway at the ap-
praisals presented to the United States
court in the recent rate case il would
cost $500. 900 at war cost OF replace
ment to buy what was appraised by
the city's experts at s5s4.5s4 pre- war
cost. This would indicate not less
than 80 per cent excess cost ofsbuilding
another suCh plant now. the rate
increase was based by the court only
on increased cost of fuel and labor,
without regard to cost Of replacing the
plant and ii continues only until six
months after peace shall have been
officially declared When the fran
chIse was voted the electric light rates
were exceedingly low and the com
psny claimed 10 be losing money be-
fore the / cent per X. w. advance in
rate was granted by the court II the
city should build competing plant
we would have two sets of wires and
two sets of poles crisis crossing over
town at an economic waste but we
would have. OF course competition We