The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-07-17
THE BRIDGE COafBTNE.

Occasionally during the last four or
five years there have appeared in the
Kansas papers brief items about
bridge combine that was supposed to
be operating in this state. The combine
was invariably abused, but few people
knew just who was in it or just how it
was manipulated. And as it was the
public that was buncoed instead Of an
individual, no great stir was made
about 1t. The county commissioners in
many Kansas counties have felt that
they were paying too much for bridges,
but they did not know how to beat the
trust
It IS alleged that the various bridge
companies doing business In Kansas
have the territory divided, each one
having certain counties in which that
particular company Is entitled to all the
business. When the county commits
sioners call for bids to build a bridge.
all the companies make a great show Of
submitting Competitive" bids, but all
the other bids are higher than that of
the company in whose territory the new
bridge is to be located. As there have
been large number of new bridges
built in Kansas during the past eight
personally interested in making a fight
on the combine. it appears that the al
legged bridge trust has had pretty good
thing.
It has remained for the county COM
missioners Of Coffey county and T. A.
Wiseman, of the same county, to bust
the trust" A little over year ago,
according to the LIE Roy Reporter. the
decided to get rid of the bridge COM
bine. It had been noticed that the con-
tracts in that county all went to a Ger
tain bridge company. at an approxi-
mateIy uniform price Of nineteen dollars
a linear foot
A year ago when bids were called for,
the commissioners turned down all the
bids submitted by the regular bridge
building companies, and gave the con-
tracts to Mr.. Wiseman for about two
thirds of the amount of the lowest bid.
The specifications were the same for
Mr.. Wiseman as those that had been
submitted to the bridge companies, and
he agreed If the bridges did not come up
to the specifications that the county
need not pay for them. but, according to
the Reporter, the bridges were satisfac-
tory
Last fall the commissioners called for
bids for four bridges and the regular
bridge companies bid as usual, but
again the commissioners refused to
award the contracts, belieN.ng the reg
ular builders were trying to hold up
the county. Two of the contracts were
given to Mr. Wiseman. A 65-foot bridge,
for which the regular bid was 81 ,1s6. Mr..
Wiseman built for $500; and a bridge
on which the combine BID was 81, 076, he
built for 500. The county saved 1852 on
those two bridges alone. Recently the
county has let contracts for five other
bridges to Mr.. Wiseman on which it be-
lieves it has saved $1.225 under what the
combine would have charged.
If there are any other counties in Kan
sas that believe they are paying too
much for bridges, perhaps they had bet
ter find out a few things from Coffey
county.
Mr.. Wiseman was formerly a clerk in
the state senate, but so far as the State
Journal knows he never posed as a
trust-buster. although, according to the
lie Roy paper, he has been doing a pref
ty good stunt along that line.