The Mena weekly star., 1920-01-22
For Better Streets in. Msna.

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 For Better Streets in Mena. .------ To The Star: 4tlll
 A word about the condition of the streets of Mena.
 notice in the Evening Star of Jan uary 16, the editor bewails the fact that no man has yet evolved a plan whereby the awful mudholes and rough sreets of Mena can be elimina- ted.
 The writer of this article has no de- sire to try and run the City of Mena nor to try to give the street comission- CT any free advice. but would like to advance a few ideas gained from ac- tual experience in road building.
 First, don't abuse your street com missioner, because in the majority of cases he is doing as we'll as he can with the money allowed him. And right here let me say that money is the essential thing needed in making streets or roads better. Then the first thing to do is to provide plenty of money, either by popular subscrip- tion or increased taxation. Then put all streets up to grade. Use wagons to fill the places which require an extra amount of material. Then after get ting all streets that you expect to work up to grade, get two or three iron drags and put them to work and keep them at work. Let them drag after every rain.
 Now a few "dont's" in regard to buying and the use of drag.
 Don't buy a drag that is over feet long, and always buy one with two blades with adjustable levers so that each blade may be adjusted independ- ent of the other; and don't try to drag a road with an engine with a station ary weight on the drag. because it is not satisfactory. A man with four good horses on a drag without a seat is the most satisfactory because it gives the man an opportunity to move from one end of drag to other as the dirt needs to be moved to or from the middle of the road
 Now as to the cost of this dragging. The writer had charge of six miles square of township roads which we paid men 60 cents per mile to drag, and in one of the wettest years Iowa |ever experienced, our total drag bill was $632 This same work probably cost 1000.
 | notice that the good roads boos- ters of Polk County find a consider able opposition to good roads from peo- pie who complain of the high cost of construction. Think considerable of this opposition is caused from the fact that their money has been spent in making roads and very little spent in Keeping them up after they have been made. Good roads experts will all agree that money spent in building Is money wasted unless they are kept up after being built And these same ex- perts will also agree that the best and cheapest way to maintain a road is to use the road drag after each rain Now before closing. word 10 the man who is opposed to good roads, have seen Iowa land sell for from $25 to S60 per acre when the roads were in the same condition as Polk County roads are in now. and this same land now with well kept roads is worth from $200 to $500 per acre. So remember when the good roads boosters are trying to talk good roads, he Is talking money into your own pockets. And remember, all the good things of life must be paid for So put up your little hammer and quit knocking. Be a booster for your community, county and state.
 Try it and see if you don't feel bet ter for the effort
 Yours for good roads.
 c. M. Surber Mena Ark. January 1g 1920