The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1903-04-23
THE CONTRACT
SYSTEM ENDORSED,
Mr.. Waters Thinks the Summit
Township Board Has Start
ed Right.

yesterday ut Butler / have read and
studied very carefully the copy OF
specifications" for road work re-
quirpd Ia he done in Summit Town
ship. Bates county. have compar-
ed the laws governing such cases,
and after such careful investigation
| am tn rroughlv sati'fied that you
are on the right track. The general
plan outlined hy you and the method
Of procedure You have, adopted con.
form very nearly to our conception
OF an IDEAL road systc-.
At a state road convei. .lon held at
Lexington, Mo, Dec, 9th and 10th,
1897, at which convention large
delegation from all parts Of the state
were present, and after nearly two
days of careful discussion by brainy
thoughtful men adopted as one of
the vital principles of road system
the following resolutions:
|. That we favor the rontractsys
TEN of working our public roads; ana
2. Road districts not less than six
miles square nor more than one
nunicipal township, and under the
nre oi board Of three supervisors
limit, 4 to strvirel who shall have
authority to contra the work with
in their districts or employ s'rvices
as their Judgment may direct.
3 That all taxes both prll and
property should be paid in cash,
The Lexington resolutions" be,
came he platform of onr association
and from that day to this we have
steadily worked to extend the plan.
The State Board Of Agriculture be,
came convinced that our association
had the right conception OF what
were the business principles needed
in a road system and have from that
day to this had department o'
Good Roads" and have assisted in
carrying forward the work.
A committee WAS appointed at the
Lexington convention to have bill
ira wn and presented before the ses
sion of the legislature in 1899 This
was done and the bills drawn by tn,
association amending and harmonic
lug the laws of our state, so that thf
contract system should be adopted
Throughout the state we're passeC
land became laws, but these laws
have been modified some since. Oul
association did not get all they
|claimed. But our central thought
was the adoption OF such a system al
TO allow the work to be done by con
tract or by employing services a,
the judgement OF the Board might
direct" But our legislators were
disposed to make the contract sys
tenn 100 rigid, and it seemed i'm
possible to get them to eitenougf
elasticity so as to allow the Boart
TO exercise their judgement as tt
how it should be done. Now a con
tract presupposes specifications
and these are the work OF the Board
they must think out what the char
acter of the work shall be, and th'
manner OF doing it. all this must b'
done in advance. Now in your cas'
this is done, and so far as ! can judge
wisely and carefully done. Thes'
specifications are a guide to the con
tractor for the performance OF th'
work. But road building is prog
ressive art and there might arise con
tingencies when it would be very i'm
portant to modify or change SOM
parts of the plans as the work pro
gressed. This will in all prohabilit,
occur, and think you have yer.
wisely provided for just such con
tingencies and for Others in section
Of specifications, your Board ma.
for cause annul Tor change) the con
, tract, and this is what you are likel,
! to do, and proceed to have the wOrl
done by an expert road boss unde
the general supervision of the Board
That the conception Of thecontrar
system embodied in the Lexington
resolutions is q correct one and th
proper basis Of an ideal road system
,, / want to bring some testimony A
the International Good Roads Asso
citation held at Buffalo, N. Y Sept
1901, this very question was YER
fully discussed, and there were deli
} VA, % thereirom several foreign cour
ties and from many states OF thi
Union. Hon. John Hamilton, secrt
tary of the Board Of Agriculture c
' Pennsylvania, presented the questio
!. OF contract system. cash revenue
and intelligent supervision. Hi
! speech was often appfauued showin
/. the hearty endorsement by the cot
tention. Amongst other things b
Q said:
| eve must have in every locality
!: Board of intelligent men informed i
. road matters which will have charg
i of the roads ia that community,
: board that win acquire the best il
. elformation to he had on the subject
: Who shall leok after th
h roads? The townships are put |
: char.e OF q competent roadmastf
WHO n A HIRED MAN, HIRED BY TIL