OCR Text |
Show rlGflWi WORKING FOR BETTER ROADS low Superintendent of Public Instruction Instruc-tion Makes Some Valuable Suggestions Sug-gestions for Improvement, Good roads and good schoolhouscs iro tho two big factors In tho growth and betterment of nil tho grain-belt Btates. This was tho underlying idea in tho nddrcss dollvorcd beforo tho Iowa Stato Teachors' convention by tho stato superintendent of public Instruction, In-struction, Mr. A. M. Doyoo. That Iowa, iih woll as .all tho typically agricultural ag-ricultural statos of tho nation, must tfjcomu educated away from tho old Btylo of road and tho old Btylo of one-room one-room BchoolhouBo beforo It can attain at-tain to tho full measuro of Its greatness, great-ness, Is quite gonornlly conceded. Superintendent Su-perintendent Doyoo mado somo valuable valu-able suggestions nB to how tho monoy expended for good rondB might bo Bpont to better ndvnntngo, saying: "Good schools nnd good roads aro tho two most lmportnnt noedB In rural communities. Both may bo Bccured with but llttlo grcator expanse than tho most of maintaining tho prcsont prevailing Bystom of mral BchoolB and tho Indifferent raothods usod In road building. Tho consolidation of schools Is not wholly depondont upon tho making of permanent roads. Tho transportation of pupils to schools la brlpp tunnngod qulto BaUfactorlly in Iowa ftild other states wliero permanent perma-nent roads hnvo not yet boon established. estab-lished. Howovcr, ns a matter of con-vonlonco, con-vonlonco, In many ways, good roadB play such an Important part in rural life dovelopmont that our stato should no longer delay by leglalatlvo action to adopt somo systematic plan of per mancnt rond construction. Approxi mately $3,479,382 was paid In cabIi as road tax In Iowa for tho year 1911. This amount does not lncludn tho nmount of tax expended In work. Tho automobllo tax for tho year closing Juno 30, 1912, waB JC05.000, which will increaso from year to year at tho prcsont prcs-ont rato. It is Bafo to cstlmato tho total amount avallablo road tax In cash as $4,000,000, which should build at least 1,000 miles of permanent roads. Ten years of pormnnont rond construction construc-tion would glvo 10,000 miles of good -roads, wheroaB, if tho present mothod of road building continues, our roads will practically bo no bottor at tho end of tho ten-year period than thoy aro today. ThiB estimate takoa no consideration con-sideration of tho tax annually worked, which would bo nvallablo for uso In neM)ajmrY,Kentral repair of roads. Better Bet-ter social andlnaufttruacoadUlontk will follow tho establishment of good roads' and good schools. Tho good roads problom will undoubtedly un-doubtedly como in for grontcr discussion discus-sion in tho grain belt states this win-tor win-tor than ever beforo. Tho teachers aro a wonderful factor for good In any stato. If thoy enn bo inspired to tako up tho cudgel for better highways much good must inovitably result, pays tho Iowa Homestead. Farm homo Improvement, rural church betterment bet-terment nnd country school advancement advance-ment aro splendid things, dovoutly to bo sought, but thoy fail or tholr highest high-est purposo and object if thoy do not bring colncidontally with thorn tho pormanont roadways on which real rural and urban prosperity actually depend. |