Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-02-20
STATE HIGHWAY COMMISSION
FORCES BRIDGE CONTRACT 49,
SUE IN POLK COUNTY.
LossY AND COUNTY OFFICIALS
FORCED TO ACCEPT PLANS
Effort to Award Contracts Under
County Plane Prevsntsd and Durable
Structures Assured - Concession 20
Grain Shippers Secured Without
Fight.
Special to imes-Republican.


Des Moines,, Feb. 20.-A somewhat
pretentious effort was made in Dies
Moines to compel the state engineer
and highway commission to back down
on the plan for permanent and durable
bridges in the place Of cheap and tenn
porary structures. It has been the pol
icy Of the highway commission to in
sist on the building Of bridges at this
time that will last forever and thus to
ultimately get rid of the annual drain
on the taxpayers for new bridges to
replace old ones worn out.
The bridge lobby and county officials
here, working in conjunction now as
they lii during the legislative session
when they fought the highway legisla-
ton bitterly. started great outcry
about the probable enormous expense
OF building the bridges according to
the state highway commission plan.
They filled the papers full Of stories Of
how the supervisors were going to save
the taxpayers much money. To dem
onstra.e it they had ten bridges
planned in two ways to show what an
awful thing it was to allow the state
engineers to insist on permanent
bridges.
The bicding showed that for ten
bridges, for which double sets Of plans
were made, the permanent bridges de-
mande1 by the state highway commits
sion would, cost an average Of $50
each more than the bridges planned by
the county engineer working for the
supervisors. One bidder asked nearly
$4,000 more for the county bridges than
for the state highway engineer bridges.
A so-callei compromise" was effected
and FIVE OF the bridges were ordered
built according to state highway COM
mission plans.
The county, will build sixty one
bridges and the total cost will be over
100000.
But the nicely staged scheme to
demonstrate to the state that state
highway comm ission bridge plans are
unduly expensive totally failed, even
tho the bridge builders had their own
way AS to most Of the bridges.
An illustration Of how good results
come from aggressive presentation Of
business matters thru state offices, an
important concession for the benefit of
Iowa grain shippers was secured with
out a fight the other day.
Some time ago managers OF the
farmers elevator at Kirkman in Shell
by county made complaint to the Iowa
commerce counsel as to grain rates to
Kansas City. stating that they could
not get into that market Assistant
Commerce Counsel Dwight Lewis took
1t up with officials Of the Northwest
ern railroad but got no satisfaction
that way. Then he filed compla int
with the interstate commerce commits
sion.
AS q result of this the Northwestern n
railroad new makes changes in its
rules and rates so that it is possible
Kirkman to reach the Kansas City
come q good one, but shippers from
all other towns on the Northwestern
to do the same thing. 1t was all done
without expense to the farmers and
shippers.
After much floudering about and
much boasting of demands to be made
and rights to be asserted, the bull
politicians have announced that
they recognize the laws Of the state
in regard to elections and election
judges as still prevailing. and that they
will be able to insist upon judges and
clerks Of election only in those sep
arate precincts where they were first
or second in the balloting in 1912 for
the head Of the ticket. They have
finally discovered that it is not the
vote for any one of the candidates for
elector that controls but
the vote for governor. who is the head
of the state ticket in Iowa, according to
the law and the decision Of the attor-