Sioux City Journal from Sioux City, Iowa • 33

The Sioux City Journal, Wednesday, March 28, 1979 1 Patrol eyes speeders George Nigh. They estimate that the state would lose $70 million a year in federal funds. A 1978 Motor Vehicle Association Bulletin said that since the speed limit was reduced to 55 mph In 1973, there has been a large decrease In the number of traffic deaths. "I drive the speed limit not necessarily because It Is the law but because I'm frugal," said Metzger. "But the most Important reason for driving 55 mph is because it saves lives." "There are a lot of casual speeders.

They aren't really breaking the law and really shouldn't be treated like they are," Horn said. Horn's bills are In the House Transportation Committee. This Is the fourth year in a row Horn said he has submitted these bills, The Oklahoma House has passed a measure to raise the speed limit on interstate and limited access roads to 65 mph. Oklahoma state officials said they expect the bill will be killed In the Senate or vetoed by Governor Bill seeks break for solar heater Iowa. Built by Mexican gandy dancers hired by the railroad, the bridge is 212 feet long, and made of reinforced concrete.

(APLaserphoto) This bridge, built on the Milwaukee Railroad line near Rhodes in 1912, is a reminder of the heyday of railroads in DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Utility companies in Iowa would be prohibited from discriminating against customers who install wood-burning stoves, solar heaters or other alternate energy devices under a bill passed Tuesday by the House. However, a utility could still charge for all the costs of providing gas or electrical service to such customers, including the costs of providing power during "peak" use periods those times when a utility is producing the most energy. "There have been problems in this general area in the past," said the bill's floor manager, Rep. Andy McKean, R-Morley. "This is a responsible bill and a responsible approach to the problem.

Voting 87-0, the House approved the measure and sent it to the Senate. But before doing so, Rep. Stephen Rapp, D-Waterloo, unsuccessfully attempted to amend the bill to make a major change in the way utility rates are structured in Iowa. The amendment would have abolished the "declining block" rates In which utilities can charge less as more electricity is used. "The more you use, the cheaper it gets.

The less you use, the more it costs. That's not the kind of thing that encourages conservation," Bridge may outlast rails ByJuleLutz Associated Press Writer DES MOINES, Iowa Iowans are continuing to drive faster than the 55-mph speed limit even though there is a strong possibility of serious gas shortages by summer. The Iowa Highway Patrol plans to do something about it soon. "Apparently a lot of people think that time is more valuable than fuel," said Ed Stanek, the chairman of the Iowa Energy Policy Council. The Department of Transportation's most recent report shows that almost a quarter of all Iowans drive faster than 60 mph.

The average speed on Iowa's highways is 57 mph. Howard Miller, the director of the Highway Safety Action Program of the Department of Public Safety said Iowa has been moving in this direction for the last two years. In 1977, the average speed on Iowa's roads was 56.8. "With as many vehicles as there are on the roads these days, even a small percentage change is significant," said Miller. But the faster the average car travels, the more gas Is consumed said Stanek.

In figures complied by the council in 1973, when the average car Increases Its speed from 50 to 60 mph, it consumes 12.79 percent more gas. Stanek said the most gas waste Is found in the mid-size car. The Iowa Highway Patrol has been unable to stop the increase In the number of speeders. So on April 2, they will unveil a new program aimed at reducing the number of speeders. Major Frank Metzger of the Highway Patrol said they realize they can't eliminate all the speeders, they just want to reduce the number.

"We just don't have enough men to watch every road, so we have have to put them where they will do the most good," said Metzger. The patrol will be attempting to find new methods for speed control with this new project, he said. Statistics show that there were actually fewer speeding tickets Issued in the last two months than there were during the same period last year. In 1978, there were 19,426 tickets written compared to 17,089 in the early months of 1979. Miller said that this winter's harsh weather has had a major effect on these figures.

"This Is not an indication that people are slowing down, its just that the roads are bad from the severe winter," Miller said. Stanek said that Iowans are consuming gas at a more rapid rate than ever before. Iowa has a fuel set-aside program administered by the Energy Policy Council in which oil companies set aside three percent of the oil sold to Iowa distributors. In February of 1978, It took seven percent of that to meet spot shortages. Last month it took 56 percent.

This is a sign of a real potential problem, Stanek said. He said that Iowans have to become more fuel conscience and drive slower. But there are people in the state that disagree. Rep. Wally Horn, D-Cedar Rapids, has submitted a bill to the House to raise the speed limit to 65 mph on the interstatesonly.

Horn said this bill would cut down on accidents because he claims the interstates are five percent safer than other roads, and with this increase more people will use the Interstate. Consequently more lives will be saved. His other bill would reduce the penalties for speeding between 55 and 65 mph, to a simple fine without it going on a person's record. Rapp said. "The culprit is the present rate structure." Rapp said persons who used wood-burning stoves for winter heating have found that while their use of gas or electricity often drops significantly, their power bills drop less.

"One person installed a wood-burning stove and cut his use 50 percent," Rapp said, "but his bill went down only 35 percent. Utility companies say their charges cannot drop as much as consumption in such cases because those customers still require gas or electricity during the coldest days, when power generating equipment is working at its peak. Thus, it costs more to provide power then than at other times. "Energy use and electricity use continue to rise," Rapp said. "We've got to get a handle on that.

One of the ways is to eliminate a rate structure that encourages them to use more. Rapp's amendment was ruled out of order and the ruling was upheld on a 52-33 vote. tion of a new building which would house a building prefabricating business, but he was quoted as saying said he would take that as well as the existing plant If the annexation goes through. Lundell said later he came to Cherokee more than 20 years ago, and at that time asked for water, sewer and other utilities, but never received them. Hesaid it was the principal of the thing, now.

He said the only concern of the council now in proposing annexation is to bring in more tax money. 3 Iowa ommxl Lundell raps annexation; audit raps Cherokee city DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Trains rumble across Iowa less frequently now than they did at the turn of the century. But even if they were to cease operation altogether, evidence of them would remain for years. One such reminder of the heyday of rail service Is the massive arched bridge on the Milwaukee Road's line near Rhodes. The 212-foot pillared structure was built in 1912, in the days when gandy dancers and mules worked on the railroads.

Wayne Htldreth, 82, of Rhodes, recalls the Mexican gandy dancers who worked on the Milwaukee Road's second line through Iowa around 1912. The road's first line had come through Iowa in the early 1880s. About 100 Mexican gandy dancers were involved In the Milwaukee line construction, he recalls. They ate and slept In railroad cars, collecting straw from nearby farmers, putting it in a sort of sack called a tick and using the tick to cushion their wooden bunks. On Mexican holidays, they'd buy a goat and roast it all through the night.

Hildreth sold them the animals for $2.50, making a 50-cent profit. One of their projects was the Milwaukee Hildreth doubts the story Is true, though, since he never heard it at the time. Milwaukee Road officials said they have no evidence about such an incident either. Hildreth does recall a drowning in the railroad's pond. The man fell off a raft made of rail ties.

Mules were used to do much of the grading along the line. Two of them were hooked onto a scoop-like device and the buckets of earth were pulled to the track bed. When the grading was finished, the gandy dancers came to the area and spread ballast along the route, put in the ties, laid the rails and bolted them together. Hildreth recalls it took 16 to men to carry a rail. For many years, the two lines, which ran roughly parallel to each other, allowed two-way rail traffic across the state.

When business declined during the 1930s, rails and ties on the original line were used when needed to repair the newer line. Today, known of the original track is left, except in a few places where It is used as a siding. The massive bridge, constructed to carry the two tracks, will likely stand long after the rails have rusted away. J.Johnson. R.Johnson, W.Johnson, Kirkenslager, Krewson, Lageschulte, Larsen, Lind, Lorenzen, Maulsby, Millen, Mullins, Pellett, Schnekloth, Schroeder, Shull, Stromer, Swearingen, Thompson, Tofte, Tyrrell, Van Maanen, Welden, Wells, West.

Absent or Not Voting (5) Connors, Egenes, Gettlngs, Perkins, Welsh. audit said steps should be taken to correct the situation. The audit cost $5,600. During the special session there was a prolonged dl- scussion on proposed annexation of land on the north side, which would take in the Lundell Manufacturing Co. Vernon Lundell, president of the firm which makes agricultural machinery and ships It world-wide, was quoted by a councilman as threatening to pull the plant out of the area if the city proceeded with the annexation.

Lundell proposes installa CHEROKEE, Iowa An audit revealed here has criticized the City of Cherokee and its fire chief, James Bleakly, for a conflict of interest. The Cherokee City County, meeting in special session, heard a review of the 1977-78 city audit completed by Ryun, Givens Co. The firm recommended: 1) Change the method used in reconciling bank statements clearing to cash receipts and disbursements on a monthly basis; 2) maintain a control account in accounts receivable on the city utility. The audit said the city is in Violation of the Iowa Code relative to conflict of interest. It said Bleakly, who is paid a salary as fire chief, also does business with the city as Champion Electric Co.

The House kills liability limit Tyyj- i ii 71 I Siouxper Structure MItQEB I KD Stockyards I Utility Hike curb loses in House Pres. Carter's wage and price guidelines. "If wage earners are going to be asked to bite the bullet, then utility stock holders should be asked to do the same," he said. DES MOINES, Iowa An attempt Tuesday by Rep. Donald Binneboese, D-Hlnton, to have the Legislature set a 7 percent limit on gas and electric utility rate Increases was defeated in the House of Representatives.

Road's railroad bridge over a quiet creek among the rolling hills near Rhodes. The massive arched structure, supported by pillars, weighs approximately 6,000 tons. It stands 55 feet above the water level. Another eight feet below that is the bottom of the footings. The structure contains 2,894 cubic yards of concrete as well as 205,209 pounds of steel reinforcing bars in the concrete.

The railroad's records indicate that construction began April 30, 1912, and was completed June 19, 1913. The concrete was machine-mixed at the site by H.E. Dudley and his crew of between 20 and 30 men. Water for mixing the concrete was taken from the creek under the bridge. Supporting the structure are 14 concrete footings.

The largest Is 33 feet long, 19 feet-6 inches wide, 12 feet deep and weighing approximately 560 tons, according to railroad records. Workers excavated 1,730 cubic yards of earth before driving the piles and pouring In the footings. Local legend has it that a man working on the bridge fell Into the fresh concrete and couldn't be retrieved. was an indication of the upcoming fight over a products liability bill, which is designed to give manufacturers a similar statute of limitations covering their products. How they voted DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Here Is the vote by which the House Tuesday defeated a bill which would have placed a 10-year statute of limitations on lawsuits against persons making improvements to real property: Voting Against (48) J.Anderson, R.Anderson, Arnould, Avenson, Bina, Binneboese, Brandt, Bruner, Byerly, Chiodo, J.H.Clark, Cochran, Connolly, Crawford, Cusack, Davitt, Groth, Rod Halvorson, Hanson, Hinkhouse, Horn, Howell, Husak, Jay, Jesse, Jochum, Lloyd-Jones, Lonergan, Lura, McKean, Menke, Miller, Norland, O'Kane, Oxley, Patchett, Pavich, Pelton, Poffenberger, Pope, Rapp, Ritsema, Sherzan, Shimanek, Smalley, Spear, Walter, Woods.

Voting In Favor (47) Bennett, Branstad, B.J.Clark, Conlon, Corey, Crabb, Daggett, Danker, DeGroot, Dieleman, Diemer, Doyle, Evans, Hall, Roger Halvorson, Hansen, Harbor, Bibbs, Hoffmann, Holt, Hulllnger, Hummel, Winter ruins cattle barns at Cherokee CHEROKEE, Iowa The severe winter has been hard on the physical facilities of the Cherokee County Fair. Fair officials said Tuesday the high winds and deep snows ruined some of the buildings used to house cattle during the exposition. Both of the main cattle barns, erected in 1952 and 1953 were nearly demolished. They were Insured. The Insuror now Is trying to fix the exact cause of damage.

The fair board estimated damage at near $25,000. Forest Kohrt, county extension director and fair board member, said the board plans to canvass the county for donations, and the county supervisors for revenue sharing funds. They also planned to apply for a community facility loan from Farmers Home Administration. The board will review progress at the next meeting April 3. The fair will be conducted July 27-29.

Conference board reappoints Peterson as county assessor CHEROKEE, Iowa The Cherokee County Conference Board Monday night reappointed Vernon Peterson of Cherokee as county assessor. He has been assessor since 1977 when he was appointed to fill the unexpired term of Harold Zahr, who left to take a position In Ames. The appointment of Peterson was to a six-year term. He will continue to fill Zahr'i term until Dec. 31, 1979, The six-year term will begin Jan.

1, ntovc nnr hJ Binnebose sought approval for the limit by trying to place it before the Legislature as an 11UUBC amendment to a bill prohibit- Ymttoa ing utilities from discriminiat- Ing against customers who use in DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) After hearing arguments that an Iowan's right to sue would be seriously restricted, the House Tuesday defeated a bill which would have placed a 10-year statute of limitations on lawsuits against persons making Improvements to real property. "This bill will cut off the rights of a person who's Injured. One day after 10 years and you're out of luck," said Rep. Stephen Rapp, D-Waterlco. The bill was defeated on a 48-47 vote.

But a motion quickly was' filed to enable reconsideration of the measure later. The legislation would have set a 10-year maximum on bringing legal action against an architect, engineer, contractor or other person when the action stemmed from the unsafe or defective condition of improvements made to real property, such as buildings. Backers of the bill said it is needed to help architects, engineers and others who are forced to maintain insurance against lawsuits long after retirement. They said most such suits are filed within 10 years. "Limiting their liability to 10 years Is not going to encourage inferior work," said Rep.

Larry Kirkenslager, R-Burlington, who also noted that "98 percent of all lawsuits are filed in the first seven years." Most lawyers serving in the House opposed the measure, saying an Iowan Injured any time after 10 years from the date the work was done would be unable to recover damages. "If this passes, you will be hard-pressed to go home, have a pipeline blow up and incinerate three or four of your neighbors, and then say: 'Sorry, we just passed a statute of limitations'," said Rep. Norman Jesse, D-Des Moines. "In the last month, we've had three gas pipeline explosions in this state. Under this bill, after 10 years, all you can say is 'tough bounce'," Jesse said.

But the bill's backers said victims could still bring lawsuits against the owners of the property. Referring to the pipeline argument, Rep. Walter Conlon, R-Muscatlne, said: "You will have a tremendous case against the people operating the pipeline. There Is nothing to prevent you from for failure to maintain that pipeline." Several lawmakers said Tuesday's debate AEA 12 to air bond proposal by Westfield WESTFIELD, Iowa A hearing on a proposed Jl-mllllon bond Issue for the Westfield Community School district will be conducted Friday In Westfield High School, beginning at 7:30 p.m. The hearing will be a joint meeting of the directors of Area Education Agency 12 and of Westfield Community School district.

Other school districts whose bolards may attend the meeting Include Akron, Le Mars, Hinton and Sioux City. township DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) County boards of supervisors would be allowed to pay township trustees and cherks more than the dollar an hour they currently receive under a bill passed Tuesday by the Iowa house. "This Is a long Overdue bill," said Rep. Ray Lageschulte, R-Waverly. "This leaves It up to the county supervisors in each county to determine the pay for township trustees and township clerks," he said.

There are 1,647 townships in Iowa, of which about 600 are active. Introducing Reese's Crunchy. The peanut butter cup that's gone nuts. alternative energy sources. His motion to bring the amendment up for consideration before the House was defeated by a party-line vote, 50-34.

The bill then was passed. In arguing for the amendment, Binneboese read from a letter written by an 80-year-old widow from Sioux City who said she spent 30 percent of her fixed income on utility bills during the last year. "It is intolerable that the present rate of utility rate increases continues unabated when incomes do not rise accordingly," he said. Binneboese also said there was a need to comply with Good to Reese's Crunchy is a nuttier, crunchier kind of Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, We took those two great tastes-Milk Chocolate and Peanut Butter and added delicious bits of peanuts. Try Reese's Crunchy.

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