Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1914-07-24
Friday. Sept IS. children's day. .....,....


ey available for certain work was
wasted, or that they could do the
work for one-half the cost, and some
of these wild statements have caused
considerable inconvenience We wish
mile, square yard for square yard,
and cubic yard for cubic yard of dirt
moved and material handled, the
cost of state road work in WiscOn-
consin has been less than the cost
of similar work in any other state in
the United States having similar Ia
square yard of material placed, the
cost of the state surfaced roads has
averaged considerably less than the
cost of similar surfaced roads built
at the same time in the cities of the
state under the contract system. Gu
bic yard for cubic yard of dirt moved
our average cost of 80 cents per GU
bic yard for all excavation, includ-
| ing rock, gravel, hard-pan and other
soils, compares most favorably with
| the cost of excavation on public
work of any character anywhere.
There have been and will be ex-
pensive jobs, as any reasonable man
would expect there would be. This
| is due to the fact that during the
past two years there have been over
80 different county highway commits
siOners in office in 68 counties, and
that there have been selected and
| trained over 800 foremen, and in this
large number of men new to con-
structing modern roads, it would
not be surprising that here and there
one would be found who was ineffi-
cient and who consequently produced
| inefficient results.
We will be very glad to have, and
wish to encourage, some of the peo-
pie who can build roads in the Win
ter for one-half of our costs put their
words into action in the summer If
you have any of these brilliant road
builders in your vicinity, you will
confer a favor upon the State High
way Commission by persuading them
to bid on state highway work and
to file a bond for the performance
of their contract We find that al
most any one is willing to do work
much cheaper than the county can
do it until you try to tie them up to
good contract that will hold water
and to give a good bond to perform
the contract requirements.
| (5) Is the law such that it can be
and is economically administered?
The present law provides for less
supervision and overhead cost on
the part of the state highway COM
mission than in any other state, save
possibly two or three which have es-
sentially a different system. There
is merely enough machinery provided
to make the proper surveys and plans
for the work, or to see that these
are prepared, and to insure enough
visits on each piece of construction
by a representative of the state high
way commission to see that these
plans are carried into effect. The Eu-
ropean and eastern states system of
placing a representative of the state
department on each piece of work has
, been entirely done away with, as it's
, cast it prohibitive on work of the
, class we do in Wisconsin.
} The amount expended by the State
: Highway Commission up to January
( l, 1914, (Which includes two and one
, half years of it's existence) was $127,
600, and this amount included the
cost of engineering on all county aid
bridges built in Wisconsin during
that period, and the cost of 1000
miles of survey made for work during
f 1912 and 1913, and 700 miles made in
advance for work to be done in 1914
5 Even disregarding a proper subtrac
t ton for the value of the equipment
: on hand and the cost of surveys