Jasper County Democrat, Volume 20, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 May 1917 — ECONOMY IN IMPROVEMENTS [ARTICLE]

ECONOMY IN IMPROVEMENTS

Should Be Practiced While Labor and Material Is High. The Indianapolis ' papers state that Governor Goodrich has sent letters to the county Commissioners of every county in the state, urging them to economize in public expenditures this year. The Democrat believes this is good advice and hopes to see it followed by our own county, township and city officials. Taxes are already most burdensome here—in Rensselaer $4.62, $4.28 in Remington and $4 in Wheatfield on the SIOO valuation —which, together with the high cost of living and the new war taxes to be imposed, is an added burden that many people can scarcely bear up under. I Many contemplated public improvements can wait. The redecorating of the court house, some of the proposed stone roads, new bridges, etc., did not or do not have to be done this year. Prices of all material is extremely high. Labor is very scarce and promises to be more so, and we wifi pay a great deal more for any public improvement now than by-and-by. There is plenty of work for any one now who wants it, and all public improvements should be postponed ■until labor conditions change. Stone road contractors complain that it is almost impossible to employ men with teams to fio hauling, especially at anything like the price heretofore paid, because of the extreme high price of feed. And of course they must add enough to their bids to take care of this feature. Men with teams can get plenty of work on the farms and they' are needed more there than we need more new roads. Our idea of public improvements is that they should be made at a time, if possible, when there is a surplus of labor and therefore keep labor employed and the wheels of industry moving. It is certainly no time now to make public improvements unless they are an absolute necessity, and we hope to see them Curtailed to a large extent in Jasper county.