The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-02-24
RELIEF FROM THE TRUST
Shawnee County Commissioners
Expect Better Bridge Prices.

The contest between the county COM
nlfssioners and the bridge builders pool
is likely to be won by the commissioners
as considerable notice has been given
to the fact that many new bridges are
to be built in the state on account of
the flood carrying away river and creek
bridges, and many eastern bridge COM
panies who have never before reached
out for business in the west are giving
attention to the work to be done in
Kansas this year and next.
The bridge building firms which have
done business in Kansas and adjacent
states for many years, formed pool
several years ago, as evidenced by the
bids made on bridges. This pool became
even stronger after the flood multiplied
the work to be done many fold. linen
the combine was perfected and mace
stronger and the bidding price was put
up in every instance.
When bids were called for to replace
bridges the bids were uniformly high
and were from $500 to $4,000 higher
than the cost of the bridges that We're
carried away, and besides this IN some
instances the piers remained in good
condition and could be used, thus elm
mating the original cost of the piers,
which is no small item in the constEuc-
ton of a bridge.
The BIDS that have been submitted for
the rebuilding of the Kansas river
bridges in Shawnee and other counties
have been all close to the same figure
The Shawnee commissioners rejected
bids and called for more, but there>xvas
no material change. The COMMISSION
ers then announced that they would
not rebuild the bridges until the prices
dropped to what seemed to be a fair
figure in comparison with the original
cost.
Some of the bidders have limited to
the commissioners that the pool would
break The commissioners are author
lied by law to call for bids If they are
rejected as being too high, or for any
other reason, the commissioners can
let the contract within 40 days without
further competitive bidding II the
commissioners receive a proposition Tor
the building of the bridges at smaller
figure. Several bidders have urged the
commissioners not to be hasty about
letting the contract at the time of the
bidding. but to hear from the bidders
during the 40 days following, intimat-
ing that in submitting bids they would
have to follow the dictates of the pool
or combine and put in bids at GER
ers rejected all the bids that they
would then make private offers I'M
known to the other members of the
pool.
The fact that large bridge building
companies in Colorado and as lar east
as PENNSYLVANIA are becoming inter
ested in the Kansas field, is forcing The
pool to make some concessions. Before
any other bids are opened the cOmIniS-
sioners will request bridge companies
in the east and west that have never
before reached out for Kansas business
to submit bids. The steel bridges all
come from the Carnegie bridge works
in Pennsylvania and if the large COM
panies in that state. close to the steel
works, enter into the competition there
may be a bridge price war which will
effectually break the pool which has
exacted an extra cost for all bridges in
recent years.
No bridges will be built before next
winter. The levy of IL mills for
bridge building viii raise about $4,000,
The river bridges which were washed
away were paid for with the money
raised by the levy of 1908 and about
Sc, COO is left in the fund. This viii give
the commissioners about $4,000 for
bridges next winter the time of the
year when the builders prefer to erect
bridges across the river. With that the
commissioners hope to build two
bridges and then to build the other
three bridges as soon as funds are
available The commissioners have de-
cided not to build bridges before they
have the funds and pay per cent. in
terest on the bridge scrip.