Danville intelligencer. [volume] (Danville, Pa.) 1859-1907, 1905-07-21
HIGHWAY INSPECTED
and APPROVED

The State Highway Department does
not find it clear sailing by any means
in its efforts to effect q settlement
with the supervisors of MahoninR
township and thoCounty Commission
ers of Montour for the highway COM
pleted between this city and Mans
dale. The State Highway Department
insists that the road is completed
that it hss been inspected and approx
ed by the proper authorities. The
Mshoning township supervisors and
the County Commissioners insist that
the road has not been finished accord
ing to the specifications and refuse to
pay their share of the bill, which is
$ll08 40 more than the contract price,
until full explanation is given to
show where the additional eleven hun
dred and odd dollars went to.
The public will be glad to learn the
true status of the State Highway. The
road in the opinion of many people
does not come up to the.speoi fioations.
They were curious to know how it
would be regarded BY the inspectors
representing the State and up to the
present have been expecting the ap-
pearanoe of these officials. 1t will be
news indeed to these people to learn
that the inspectors have come and
onpa Whar, thora oef aiol for n
their duty and how their visit to Dan
vile happened to escape notice prob
ably has but little to do with this
story
In June 2Sth last r. s. zimmerman,
attorney for Mahoning township, in re-
ply to the communication fIom the
State presenting the bill wrote the
Highway Department that payment
would be made as soon as the State
highway was completed according to
plans aud specifications and asked for
relating to inspection which appeare
on the bill. Mr.. zimmerman stated
that the township supervisors would
be glad to 60 over the road with the
inspectors at any time.
A reply from the State Highway de-
partment on June goth. brought the
surprising intelligence that the road
had already been formally inspected
by the department and that the item
relating to inspection covered the sal
ary paid the inspector whom the De-
partment employed during the prog
ress of the work and who was present
every day from the time he was ap-
pointed until the work was complet-
ed. The communication stated that
there was no reason why the County
Commissioners or township Supervis-
ors should know when the inspectors
would be on hand and hence were not
notified.
To this communication on June 80,
Attorney zimmerman replied: "As
Malioning township and Montour
County have obligated themselves to
pay a proportionate share of the cost
Of the public improvement in question
the Supervisors aud County Commits
sioners reserve to themselves the right
of knowing where the peoples money
is going to and the consideration in
every detail for the money they pay {;
they are answerable to their respec-
tive boards of auditors whose duty it is
to confine them closely to the provis-
ions uf the contract the law authorized
them to enter into. We have no con-
idence in the inspector whom you
suggest as being present. My clients
insist upon such an explanation OF all
the circumstances as will justify them
in making this expenditure of their
money. Tho townships contract calls
for an expenditure of $1127. SO you ask
| US to pay t1379 81 and the only reason
you assign is that the work has been
found satisfactory to your department &;
this is insufficient reason to warrant
us in the expenditure Of this money at
this time.
To this came reply from the State
Highway DepaI tment, dated July Sth,
which Jared the Supervisors some
what, being not only exceedingly dis.
courteous in tone but showing that in
the Highway Department not very
high estimate is placed upon the
skill and experience of township Sup
ervisors as roadmakers. The COM
munication stated: "As to the char
acteI of the road think it question.
| able il any one of several novices In
road building are justified in setting
their opinion against that of the rep
resentative of this department, who
made the final inspection of the road.
The amount of presumption which
| such an action shows is very similar
to that which would be shown in cas- q
some of your township supervisors s
should assume to know more about law
than you know"
This then is the status of affairs per
tanning to the State Highway. The
township Supervisors insist that they
are able to determine whether or not
the plans and specifications have been
complied with and allege that in sew.
eral important details these have not
been lived up to. They also hold that
they are entitled to an itemized state
ment which will fully account for the
extra eleven hundred dollars or so that
has been tack ed on. The contract price
for the road was s6786. l5. What the
outcome of the matter may be is un-
certain. 1t does not seem unlikely that
law suit may follow brought about
by the Maryland Construction Com.
pany in order to obtain its money.
Surprise Party.
| A pleasant surprise party was given