Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1915-01-28
SOUTH DAKOTA To
CHECK JOKERS IN
BRIDGE BUILDING
Laws Framed In Interests of
Contractors May Be Given
Careful Revision BY
Legislators.
COUNTY OFFICERS LOBBY
Two Years Ago Bridge Interests
Drew In Large Contingent
to Oppose Change In
Regulations.
COUNTY OFFICERS LOBBY

Pierre, s. d.. Jan. 23.-Once more II
number of the legislators are on the
trail of the alleged bridge building;
combine, and they claim they will gec
h "jolSers" out of the state laws al
this session or know the reason why.
contracting opportunities was passed
IN the senate, but the bridge men sent
out the clarion cry INC drew in Il horde
or county officials and former county
officials to lobby against the measure.
The bill was 80 badly crippled by
amendments in the house that it's use
fullness was very much impaired.
At this session such fighting mem
bers as Senators Pearson. DALEY,
Moody, urdahl, Lake and Waters. and
REPRESENTATIVES. Thompson, Baldwin.
Lake II BielSki have announced their
determination to wipe the bridge CON
tract jokers from the South Dakota
statutes. They claim that the con-
tracing companies work in collision
and parcel territory, thus making the
supposed competitive conditions abso-
lutely farcial. The contracting com
panies prepare the specifications and
1uggle them, with the consent of
friendly officials, to keep out indie
pendent competition.
For Contract Date.
In the new bridge bill it will be pro-
vided that the contract for each bridge
be let separately and In bulk, on specl-
ding per lineal foot will be cut out,
such method being very deceiving and
ending to owe up shady transac-
lions. County commissioners will re-
serve the right to buy material and
build the county bridges.
An important provision is that bid
must be opened in all counties OF the
| state AT the SJu1a TINA II, n. ta. r;y.I
by law. This will prevent bridge agents
from going in a body to every meeting
for opening bid and will assure the
awarding of contracts on the bid sub,
mittcd, without the pressure of Il bridg,
lobby in each county. These contract
letting days. when fixed by law, VIII
be known to the public md a clos. I
tab can be kept on the actions Of couu-
~ officials in bridge matters.
h bill will probably be Introduce
immediately after recess. Its sponsors
are counting the fullest publicity in tAc
hope that they may prevent the III
from being lobbied to death, as it wa.>
two years ago.
lid Bill" Proposed.
The so-called lid" bill probably xii
be prepared and introduced by the com
nittee OH state affairs of the senate
The purpose of the bill is to put tt,t
lid" on levies by counties. municipal.
ties II school districts, which Wa:
practically removed when assessment.
We're raised to full valuation.
Wien property was assessed at one
third and one-fourth of it's value. man,
cites We're making their levies Well W
t. the limit. Under full valuation il Il
possible for them to increase taxes l.
three or four times what they were lie
fore.
la it's annual report the tax conunis
sion recommends that the limit be re
duced to correspond with the ~icoreas'
iii valuation. In no case is it propose,
to have the limit lower, proportionaliv
than it was before and it will be som,
hieller in most cases.
Representative Labrie, of Spinl
county, the good natured Frenchman
whose joint resolution No. | memorial
lying congress to stop shipment of mu
nitions of war to Europe was side
tracked by indefinite postponement tn
previous day, showed that he was
good loser when. after asking for a re
cess of a half minute he held up a tin,
white flower and said:
~ now move that the speaker instruc
the clerk of this house to lay this littl
flower on the mangled remains o
House Joint Resolution No. L." TIL
speakers gavcl was not able to chez
the mcrriment that followed: