Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-05-08
Local Comment

1t is expected that initial steps will
be taken by the city council next Mon
day evening preparatory to ordering
paving done in Marshalltown this sea-
son and it is certainty that concrete
in some form will be the kind ordered
as the council is unanimous in its
favor. Before the specifications are
finally decided upon, however. it would
be good business precaution to look
into every clause with the most
searching scrutiny. For instance the
Specifications used at Gary, Ind. are
now on file in the city clerks office.
Several men who have read them OBJ
ject to them because they specify so
infinitely as to proportions of mater
ial. methods of mixing, etc, that con-
tractors would be forced to adopt some
patented process in order to comply
and if they did the royalty would be
taxed up to the property owner. 1t
would seem that this was true at Gary
since their specifications contain a
clause stating that contractors must
pay all royalties for patented processes
or methods out of their bids and give
bonds protecting the city from any
such claim and the result was that the
contract went to the firm which claims
to hold patents on the method of mix
ing granitoid blocks. Competitors
were probably handicapped. Then
again, another clause prohibits any
firm from bidding unless it can show
that it has been laying concrete paw
ing for at least three years. This would
shut out local citizens from bidding
and yet the paving contractors adj
mitted that the only men they would
send out on job would be an expert
superintendent, who would employ
common labor at the place of paving.
Any set of citizens might enter the
concrete paving business by financing
an expert superintendent and real
com petition might be barred by a
three year clause. These are criticisms
which the council should consider
since 1t is assumed that they will try
to do the best that can be done for our
citizens.
In the matter of price it is difficult
to see why concrete paving should cost
above s14O in Marshalltown unless
some patented process IS adopted. Even
the granitoid blocks at Gary laid by the
pantentee cost only s1.65 per yard
whereas common labor there cost So
cents per hour as compared to 20 cents
in Marshalltown. There is concrete
paving in LeMars. Iowa, today laid in
1904 at cost of s125 per yard which
is standing up in every way satisfac-
tory. The wearing surface was mads
of one part cement and two parts OF
riv Say3S instead NJ
crushed granite and cement is cheaper
in Marshalltown today than it was II
LeMars in 1904 Members of our city
council believe that the cost will be
less than s1.75 in Marshalltown. but
they have thought it necessary to pre-
pare people for more than s1.25 per
yard If extreme caution is exercised
to open the specification wide enough
for competitive bidding and not repeat
the disastrous conditions of our as
phalt experience Marshalltown may
yet show the world how to pave a city
and pave it right.
When the supreme court sustained
90 cent gas for Cedar Rapids the pre-
dictions recently made by a gas exper
before the Retail Merchants Associa
ton of this city were knocked into {
cooked hat He assured our bushes
men that public clamor raised by pol
| iticians had somewhat Influenced th'
decision in the lower court but that {
80 cent rate was prohibitive in Ceda,
Rapids and that the supreme cour;
would so decide. Now the question is
was he as far off in his protests as, te
81 gas for Marshalitown as he was as
to 80 cent gas for Cedar Rapids? Tht
mayor says that his 81 rate has beer
approved by the lawyer who won thu
80 cent rate in two courts.