Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1915-03-11
MORE TROUBLE ARISES
ON COLUMBIA HIGHWAY.
Serbian Contractors Threaten
Trouble AS Result Of En-
gineer's Recent Ruling

secretary of state and state treasurer,
are in receipt of more complaints in
connection with the building of the
Hood River county unit of the Colum-
bia river highway involving the latest
attitude of Supervising Engineer FL.
liott, acting under the instructions OF
Highway Engineer Bowlby, in refusing
to furnish any more estimates on sub
contracting work as result of which
it is claimed that crew of 10 or II
Serbians have been unable to secure
their pay for work completed and it is
reported that they are getting ugly
about it and may make trouble for
somebody. The matter will probably
be taken up by the commission at next
Tuesdays meeting when Engineer
Bowlby will have returned froms an in
spection trip to Clatsop and Columbia
| counties.
The whole trouble, it appears, hinges
upon recent ruling of Highway En-.
gineer Bowlby in which he declares that
no further estimates will be furnished
contractors on sub.contract work or
any parts Of work until the work is
completed or the final is made and that
supervising engineers are prohibited
from giving any information of anv
KIND to the contractor for the purpose
of aiding him in sub-dividing the work.
1t appears that it has been the custom
of the engineering department to fur.
nlsh the contractor with estimates upon
station work so that it could be sub
contracted but that the custom has
been abolished by Highway Engineer
Bowlby as a result Of which one of the
crews of Serbians, who took a subcon.
, tract before the order was issued, has
finished its work and, under the ruling,
will not be able to get their nav until
late in June or July.
News items in the afternoon papers
of yesterday and the morning papers
of today indicate that the Serbs, who
claim to have lost money on their con.
tract, are thrown upon their own re.
sources pending settlement with the
contracting company, the Newport
Land Construction company, and the
contractors claim that they can make
no settlement until they receive the
: station estimate which Engineer Elliott
refuses to give. In letter from Coun.
| " Iuage stanton, Of Hood River con-
: ~ 70 tne highway commission, in which
nc states mat the Hood River court
went over the work upon a. tour of in.
spection but that Engineer Elliott re.
fnsed to accompany them, an account
: OF the situation is given, which. in
i. ortei, rIi,, Is as follows;
, ''We ran into great deal of dis
/, Sailsiaellon "a, at the SerVian camp OF
t opnm oInn. hesenoVltcn' va one OF the subs anc
n hoou' h ~ men under him, who say they
e rane tin, LIZ iinisneu thelr work on their sta
e @ raon pu' they are unable to get an esti
I @ ,'a,e 81 'hey can settle with Mr.. New
!. pGi,, aInin, AS hs re remember 1t these parties
,. oni Lney iVsD iilVney on thelr contract
@ anu e'allil that hr' Elhott has beel
?. Ses Io','"u'es 10 'he Sup'contractor
oaao Delo'o Dut tnht ne refuses 1t in thi'
II ,"'e' anu 'ha' tney are laying in CAM
I on am, eHPvnSe Ni ,,M.g Mating Tor their pay.
oaiie9 "ie w. ~! riiiott up on the phone anC
. ST"'I ST" p nin ABOUT II ana he says tha
ak m noMloy ordered MN not to Civ,
J.o'.ou'ra''or 5.o any more estimates, bu
''a no' give any reason FOR the order
~ :. an not posted IN such matters bu
q !, se'imS 70 me 'hat these men ought Il
, naie 'nelr pay ana ne allowed to ge
~ g". Tm. mi'hou' any more expense. Nh
4 'l.l eAPi'Ihs that ne VIII not civ,
~ anS estimate mat VIII enable Newpor
~ se''le WIN them until the cntir
JOB is done, winch will be some tim
u !" June OF perhaps July.
Il Wlsh TO enquire If there is an,
goo reason ,. why Mr.; Elliott should no
give ms estimate the same as he ha
uohe heretofore. feel that if il j
necessary TO get this estimate to en-
" aole 'ne IaDorers to get thir pay tina
J IL should be done at once.'
since hlghway Engineer Bowlby !
u away from the office, on inSpectio
= uuty IN CIatsop and Columbia countie
N ana VIII not return until Monday, il j
&c not expected that anything will be don
1t Dy the highway commission until Tues
III aaay, and Governor Withycombe state
TINS noon that he could not forete
's what action would be taken until tn
m matter was placed before them in a
At OFFICIAL light Engineer Bowlby's r,
&c cent ruling upon the subject of est
lg mates upon sub-contracts, which is bel
We 10 be the cause for the present serior
~ situation in connection with the Hoo
m River county unit, is as follows:
ut has been our practice in the pa,
- to try to help the contractors by qivn
: them estimates each month GOVERN
III station work, that is, small portions {
III their whole contract. This has bee
III done to make it easier for them IN |,
I'LL ,h,, ,rnrt. "a, H.. .,.....n ~