612 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



visors to appoint, with an adequate salary, a qualified, experienced civil 

 engineer. It is observable that both these great naeasures of road reform 

 would put at the disposal of the county the necessary technical knowledge 

 and experience. The main difference between the Carrol measure and the 

 Larrabee measure being that in the Carroll measure the engineer would 

 be elected while in the Larrabee bill the engineer would be appointed by 

 the board. The salary generally spoken of in connection with the office 

 was $1,500 per year, which in this county you will note, would be about two 

 per cent of the $70,000 usually expended on said work. It was also urged 

 in support of both measures that the salary would be largely paid by sav- 

 ings in other directions. It was set forth with more or less detail that a 

 county engineer would be required to perform much technical work which 

 at the present time devolves upon the board of supervisors, and which ap- 

 pears in the county records under the title of Committee work. I may add 

 in this connection that the Committee work performed during the year 

 1909 in Jackson county, as recently reported to your speaker by Auditor 

 Pain, reached the sum of $1,920.40. 



THE COUXTY PATRIMONY. 



In closing I wish to submit some figures and estimates. 



An average county in Iowa is 24 miles square. Across this county are 

 24 roads ranging north and south each 24 miles long, making 576 miles of 

 highway. Across the county running east and west are 24 roads each 24 

 miles long, making 576 miles, which, added to the north and south roads 

 makes 1,152 miles to the county. One mile of highway is 320 rods long 

 and 4 rods wide and contains 1,280 square rods which divided by 160 shows 

 8 acres of land in a mile of road. The 1,152 miles of road in the county 

 at 8 acres per mile indicates there are 9,216 acres of land in the roads of 

 the county. This land at $100 per acre comes to $921,600. 



The bridges in this county number 1,600. Of these 1,600 perhaps one 

 hundred bridges which span the larger rivers of the county are worth 

 $6,000 each and reach the value of $600,000, 1,500 smaller bridges average 

 in value $500 each — $750,000 — reaching a total value in bridges of $1,350,- 

 000. 



This bridge valuation of $1,350,000 added to road lands, value of $921,- 

 600, shows a total of $2,271,600. 



In administering this estate of $200,000, we have quite an array of offi- 

 cers. First, we have in this county at least five supervisors. Again each 

 township has three trustees and one road superintendent, four officials in 

 all to the township, which in the 18 townships in this county would reach 

 the total of 72 township officials. This number, added to the five county 

 officials, make 79 road officers. 



The annual routine work of these 79 officials is to keep 1,152 miles of 

 highway in a rounded-up smooth condition. 



Now we beg to ask whether these 79 officials in the administering this 

 great trust need or do not need some central authority who can always be 

 found, who can act in the capacity of consulting engineer. There is no 

 greater question before the next general assembly than "what will it do 

 with the recommendation of Gov. Carroll?" Shall the country road have a 

 capable trained head? t .Lj:;liiJ;Ui 



