Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1919-04-16
County Engineer ArnesOn a< IS
Another Article i'm Defens> q
Good Roads. Answers Mr.
F1askerud's Article
HE GIVES SOME
MORE FACTS ON SUBJECT
The Engineer Says the Issue is
Hinged Upon One Question
Whether We Want Roads
That Can be Travelled
Every Day

| have read Mr.. y. y. FlaSkerud' :
and Mr.. Roy Tillotson's articles
against and fer the Good Roads Bill
which is pending action in the Iowa
Senate and House with great inter
est, and I am pleased to note that
my former article has created this
discussion and l think, is arousing
interest in one of the biggest prob
lens we have to deal with. This pro-
position is not only county and state
wide but it is also nation wide and
/ believe every man or woman, no
matter of what occupation, is direct
ly or indirectly interested in this
ISSUE.
The issue is hinged upon one
question, whether We want roads
that can be travelled every day in the
year thus getting 100 per cent value
for our money, or do We, at this
late day, in the age of improvement
still want to get about 40 per cent
of the use of them? know that near
1y every fair minded person will say
that last fall our dirt roads were as
good as could be made, but of what
use have they been these past seven
months, except to spend vast am
cunt of money on them in repair?
And today we are still where we
were. Is it not to the farmers in
terest to have roads that can be
travelled at any time? to haul his
produce to market and haul his pur-
chases to his farm as well as to the
auto owners?
Mr.. Flaskerud claims I entered
the discussion by using "fowery'
language, indulging in camoufage
and trying to pull another court
house bond issue stunt. Also that the
only ones receiving benefits from
these hard surfaced roads are the
engineers and the machinery COM
panies. l would like to go into de-
tail on these matters but I realize
space in newspaper is worth good
deal Of money to the owner, so
will briefly consider and argue each
question as outlined in his former
article. FLOWERY language is some
thing l know nothing about and if
] used such I did so quite uninten-
tionally, and I believe / used up my
stock in my former article.
CAMOUFLAGE. My article was
written from press notices and from
a talk given by one who was in a
position to know, Mr.. Mcdonald, who
has been until recently, Chief Engin-
eer of the Iowa State Highway Com
mission and who is now one of the
Chief Engineers employed by the
Federal Government. Since my for
mer article was written I have had
a copy of the bill as filed for action
in the House and Senate, and after
careful reading and studying it,
am more than ever impressed of it's
good qualities and of the good points
of inducement as to why We should
get these roads surfaced as soon as
possible.N One in particular is that
when the roads or any part thereof
is hard surfaced with gravel, crushed
rock or paved with concrete or brick,
the Federal Government will allow
one-half the cost of maintenance,
not to exceed $4,000 per mile from
them for the repair and up-keep Of
these roads.
That believe is SOME inducement
to get them out of the way and taken
eff the counties and taxpayers hands
as soon as possible and using the
money we are now spending for re-
pairs for adding other milage of sur
faced roads to that system. 1t is not
the truth, Mr.. Flaskerud, that only
SO per cent of the people will use
these roads. will 'concede TO you,
though, that EVERYONE will not be
able to use these roads. That on the
face of it is impossible as you
know, but I believe in starting, as
this b. starts, on the main Travelled
roads 4 on which the most travel
concentr, es. After that system is
completed then branch out and
catch the tributaries. One has only to
refer to the Financial Statement of
lWinneshiek County for the year 1918
ITO find that the dragging of the
County Road System averaged $27.5t
per mile and totaled $5,S6O.05. We
all know that money spent in drag
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