The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-09-22
KANE CRITICISES
THE COUNTY BOARD
Declares Commissioners Are
Wasting Money Patching
Up County Roads.

Unless the county commissioners
show an inclination to make perma-
nent improvements on the county
roads and stop wasting money by
patching up the bad places only to
have them washed out by the first
shower, 1 will stop the entire county
road work, regardless of the conse-
quences."
This was the declaration made by
County Attorney Kane at the meeting
of the board Of county commissioners
yesterday, when he had been informed
that another $500 had been appropri-
ated for the repairing of the Hamline
road, which was again washed out by
the recent rain
The board will have to do this work
legally or not at ALL" continued Mr..
Kane. There has been too much
money wasted already and we have
nothing to show for it in the way of
finished roads. Meeting after meeting
money is appropriated for the repair
ing of this road or that one, but the
repairs last only until a rain comes
along. 1t is time some of our county
road fund was being expended for
something more than temporary re-
pairs, and if the commissioners will
not do 1t, l will see that they do not
expend any more money in the fool
ish manner in which thousands of
dollars have been expended this year."
County Commissioner Pottgieser
took exceptions to the structures of the
county attorney, and attempted, amid
the Interruptions of Commissioner
Nash, to explain to the county attor
ney that the repairs on the Hamline
road were an immediate necessity, and
that it was on this account that the
board had decided to appropriate $500
to be expended for repairs under the
supervision of Commissioners Powers
and Nash.
Pottaieser Wants to Know.
''rhe county commissioners are
somebody or else they are nobody"
declared Mr.. Pottgieser, after Mr.. Kane
had threatened to stop the work on
the county road. cit is time we were
finding out whether the county board
or the county attorney has the power
to let the road contracts. I think the
commissioners should be permitted to
have something to say in the matter"
The county commissioners have the
right to let the road contracts so long
as they do it legally" replied Mr.. Kane.
ONAS IliCy nave liz tight " GOIlllilQS
month after month to waste the coun-
tvs money by making repairs on roads
which have to be done all over again
as soon as a shower comes. With the
amount of money set aside for road
work in Ramsey county each year,
we should have something In the way
OF permanent and finished roads to
show for it,, but instead of this the
money is used in making temporary
iY.c-.
this reason that the county attorneys
office will take a hand in the matter
If the. method is continued"
When the commissioners met yes
terday morning it was found that the
county attorney had held up a num-
Der of bills for road repairing, and
he was asked to explain why he had
done so.
81 did so because the bills were IL
legally made out" explained Mr.. Kane.
Some of them were merely bills for
work, but there was nothing to show
where the work had been done or
whether or not it had been approved.
One bill read for man and team one
day and another, made out by the same
man and for the same day, was for
one mans work." When 1 asked the
maker of the bill to explain, he said
the bill for one mans work was for
labor performed by himself. and he
finally admitted that the bill for the
man and team was for labor which
had been performed by his little boy,
who drove his team.
Kane Declares Ultimatum.
'"This board will not be permitted
to do business in this manner so long
as 1 am county attorney. If a boy is
too small to make out his own bill, he
ic fnO small fn IN n Nc
loose methods of doing business with
the county's funds will not longer be
tolerated. This board will either do
business on business principles or not
at ALL"
The commissioners did not take
kindly to the declarations of the coun-
ty attorney, but some of the work
which they had under consideration
was held over until the next meeting
County Surveyor John Irvine holds
the same views of patch work" on
the county roads as does the county
attorney. He reported to the board
yesterday that the county roads were
again in a terrible condition, many of
them, since the recent rains, being inn
passable. All the roads patched up or
built this year are ruined and the money
expended upon them has been wasted.
1t was the opinion of Mr.. Irvine that
improved. even if so many roads were
not built in one year.
County Commissioner Seng, who has
opposed the patch work" system on
the county roads ever since he has
been on the board, started a lively
scrap by expressing his opinion of the
system. Mr.. Seng was of the opinion
that the county roads should be ma
cademized, as such work was perma-
nd
thousands of dollars in repairs in flu
ture years. He said it was simply
throwing money away to have a little
sand or little clay hauled in and
dumped upon the roads, as it washed
away the first time a shower came.
Mr.. Seng was in the minority, but he
did succeed in holding up the contract
for the widening of Hamline avenue
at a cost of $4,000. while the grading
of Minneapolis avenue. at a cost of