Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1919-04-02
TALKS ON SUBJECT
HARD SURFACED ROADS
Gives His Figures Showing What the
Actual Cost Would Be. Is an
Immense Sum, More Than
Appears on Face of
Proposition
Continued from first page.

be the average cost in ordinary
cases. In his example he places the
cost of mile of concrete road at
$4,000.
He now has 100000 from the
Federal government and S2,000,000
raised by taxation in the state, and
proposes to raise another 25 per cent
of the fund by assessing the property
abutting the paved road which in
round numbers will be 1888, 900,
in all will provide a sum amounting
to 1888, 900. With this amount he
proposes to pave 5000 miles of Iowa
highway at $4,000 per mile. If my
knowledge of mathematics Is correct,
$5,333,0O9 at $4,000 per mile will
pave 243 miles or approximately
two and one half miles in each of
the SO counties in the state. fail to
see how he will construct hard sur
faced roads, north, south, east and
west across each county and connect
the county seats and the main market
places of each county with 2 " miles
of such roads in each county. If this
amount of money is expended and
roads hard surfaced as far as the
funds will go, what will be done with
the balance Of the 5000 miles. How
will the money be raised to COM
plete it? Does he propose to pull off
another Winneshiek county court
house stunt on the people? When
the old court house was torn down
and the new one half completed the
funds were exhausted, there was no
the people were compell-
ed to vote another appropriation OF
$4,000 to complete it. Why not
come right out and admit that 5000
miles of paved road in Iowa will cost
the people of the state of Iowa $780,
100000 in real money, and in this
we are not, allowing anything for the
upkeep and repair of the roads after
they are constructed which we know
will be no small sum. And when
5000 miles of road are completed as
we doubt very much if D"
per cent of the farmers will be able
to use it as a marketing road. Those
who market their produce at towns
not served by these roads will have
no use of it at all, but will be COM
PEELED to contribute their proper
tionate share of the rs per cent OF
the cost. In my opinion such roads
will be used more as a speedway by
pleasure seekers and tourists.
find this statement in his
article: 1T has been proven fact
that car travel has increased 30 per
cent in the last 5 years and now it
is an every day occurrence to see
10 or Is ton motor truck on the
highways, which are also increasing,
and it is great problem to tgure
how long a second class road will
last" | have been trying to recall
when l ever saw a Is ton motor
truck on the highways in Winneshiek
county, and l have been on these
highways a great deal myself. / am
inclined to think that our county
engineer has been looking at tin
Lizzie through strong glass.
Though he is right in that the car
travel is and has been increasing
rapidly in the last few years. An"
previous to the coming of the motor
car we heard nothing about hard
surfaced roads. No county engineer
nor chief engineer of the State
Highway Commission ever thought
of constructing hard surfaced roads
for the sole purpose of enabling the
poor farmer to get to market with
his produce. Why not be fair and
honest and admit that it is the
motor traffic and those who furnish
road material who are advocating
hard surfaced roads. No one is ask
| ing for such roads solely for market
ing roads. Where is there farmer
who goes from county seat to county
seat TO market his produce, or even
from town to town? There are none
Though there are Wholesale houses
and manufacturers who have theil
statesmen out selling their wares who
could cover more territory in a giveI
time with a motor on paved road
than they can by travelling on thu
railroads. And there some banker
who would lend some of their none,
to the people of the state by buyinj
these road bonds and get goo
rate of interest on their money, an
the money used in building pave
road on which he could run hi
limousine at pleasure in visiting nj
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