Los Angeles herald., 1910-01-23

| to execute by force account the portion
which it cannot contract, and must do
| it under the direction of it's own en-
! gineering force. There are only nine
months each year during which effec-
tive work can be done. The beginning
of this period is about March 1, 1910,
for the coming season.
The Importance of what | have here
said about the awarding of contracts,
and falling to find contractors for all
the work demanded next year, to make
preparations for beginning the con-
struction by force accounts by the first
of next March cannot be oVerestimated.
Should the highway commissions fail to
comply with this, at least approXi-
next year and the results will be highly
unsatisfactory to the people of Los An
| geles country.
There now remains less than two
months in which to do all this in ad-
dition to opening the rock quarries as
| I have already pointed out, and because
the time is so short, this necessary task
is all the more difficult, although by no
means impossible of accomplishment.
Comparison of Estimates
In my last report I promised to give
my views regarding the outcome of
work done as compared with the esti-
mates of costs relating to same. have
| been unable to secure sufficient infor-
nation from the office of the chief en-
gineer of the highway commission to
| pass upon this subject in the present
report [ requested from Mr.. Loder a
| tabulation of the estimates made, as
we'll as a tabulation of the contracts
already let and the payments made
under the contracts so far as the work
has progressed.
| This information / have not yet been
able to obtain owing to the fact that
Mr.. Loder states he has not had time
| to assemble it. This would indicate
| that the records are kept in convenient
| form for easy access and that the office
organization is not up to the desired
standard, since the information l have
asked for should merely involve copy
ing the records which ought to be done
| by the ordinary office help in a few
| hours. / hope to secure this informa-
| tion in time to make an analysis of the
| figures and present my conclusions
when making my third report
Recommendation
| As a result of Investigations made
| since my first report and the considera-
| tion given to the various important
matters entering into the highway con-
| struction in this county, l will sum-
marize the conclusions reached in the
| IolloW1ng recommendations:
First--Only a bonded macadam made
from hard rock and screenings and a
| heavy residuum to fill all the inter-
stices should be employed for highway
construction.
Second-Some means of obtaining bet
ter lateral protection to the 16-foot
macadamized roadway, than the oiled
shoulder now employed, should be de-
! Vised.
Third-The deposit of andesyte at Pa
coima is of the highest grade, sufficient
in quantity and easily accessible for
| the work proposed under the three and
half million dollars of bonds issued.
Fourth-The San Dimas andesyte, al
though inferior to that at Pacoima, is
also entirely satisfactory for road pur-
poses and seems to exist in unlimited
| quantities.
Fifth-In order quickly and satisfac-
| torily to open the Pacoima quarry an
electric shovel and dump train for
stripping should be installed immedi-
ately.
Sixth-JThe Pacoima quarry site
| should be opened not only on the upper
level, but stripped and opened on the
| lowest level at the base of the hill, in
order to secure sufficient working room
and good material as quickly as needed
| Seventh--In selecting the rock from
the San Dimas quarry care must be
used to obtain only the hardest and
| finest grained material, as there Is
much soft and unsatisfactory rock near
the good deposits. This will require
careful inspection by competent persons
when the cars are loaded.