The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-11-12
NJ r. Mcfarland Tells Fort Madison
Rotary Club Of Way County Elk
poets to Build High
ways.
NINETY MILES PRIMARY
Lee May Spend s2ao,ooo This Coming
Year, it is Said by Engineer in
Figuring Esti-
mate.

Detailed information on the plans
of the county in improving its roads,
the system of tax collection, the
funds available for The WORK and the
roads that will be improved l, was
given in an address before the Fort
Madison Rotary club at heir noon
day meeting Monday. Mr.. Mcfsr-
land said in part:
The highway law which wen. into
effect last year divides the roads ef
the state and counties into two sys
tens, the primary and secondary sys.
TENS and provides for the improy G.
ment of the primary system of each
county by use of federal aid funds.
motor vehicle license fees and as
sessments on benefited properly. 1t
also allows each county to anticipate
such funds if it chooses AMI to di
vert other existing funds to impr 3ve-
ment of the secondary road system.
This primary road system en-
braces the main market roads winch
connect county seat towns and mar
ket centers. The secondary system
includes all other roads and these
township roads.
Ninety Miles Of Primary Road.
In our own county before this law
went into effect we had las miles OF
county road, and 663 miles of own.
ship road. A total of sos miles
cas- our roads are divided now we
have ninety miles of primary roads,
II miles of county roads and SAT
miles of township roads.
4 49,
by law is made up of Iowa's portion
of the federal appropriations and
all motor vehicle license fees, except
what is used to maintain the high
way commission. and the motor
license department. This fund is
apportioned to the counties in the
ratio that the area of the county
bears to the area of the state and is
expended for work on the primary
road system.
County May Spend $3.50, 900.
Lee county has collected during
this year and paid into the state
treasury s72,455 in automobile
licenses. We now have a credit OF
$139,722 at the state treasury and
will probably receive an additional
100000 this year which will give us
about s230,000 available for primary
road improvement.
A county has three options in ex
penditure of allotments from the
primary road fund.
First. 1t may complete the grad
ing and draining of any part or al
of the primary roads before laying
any surfacing.
Second. 1t may hard surface il
ANY one year such portion of the
roads as may be met by its portion
iof the road funds. This work O
hard surfacing must be authorized b.
/ d majority vote Of the electors O
the county
Third. 1t may complete hare
surfacing in a more rapid manner b.
anticipation of funds and issuance
lof bonds or road certificates whel
authorized by majority vote of cleo
tors.
At the election which was helt
last year our board of supervisor
was not authorized to proceed will
lsurfacing work. The matter was pu
up for election because the boarC
was anxious to improve the Mont
rose road and surfacing is necessar,
to the Improvement.
Montrose Road Paving.
After the election the board wa
still anxious to go ahead with som,
sort Of improvement to this road be
icause it connects our two towns
After some difficulty we persuaded
the highway commission and thei
engineers 10 approve an asphaltic o
Tarvia macadam surface project-a
our first primary road project. TIL
project was approved about fv
months ago and the survey is prac
tically completed. We hope to le
contracts this wintsT and start worl
sin the spring. Tie road will cos
about $4,000 per mile. There ar
nine miles to build. This will prac
tically use UP our available funds.
Fort Madison is at the junction O
-four primary roads and has the OF
iportunity to have good roads from
all directions.