Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1915-04-20
ENGINEER CANTINE
WILL MEASURE UP
IN JACKSON COUNTY
10 Settle Differences Between
Court and Contractor
Josephine Gets $4,000

As result of conference between
the state highway commission with
delegation of county officials and Rep
rcsentative Vawter, of jackson county,
and Representative T. L. Blanchard, of
Josephine county, it was tacitly under
stood that Highway Engineer Cantine,
/ in cooperation with the county court
and contractors, measure up and deter
mine what is the contractor s just due
for work claimed to have ben performed
/ over and above the estimate Of former
/ Highway Engineer Bowlby and to ar
rive at just and equitable adjust
ment of the differences between the
county court and Contractor Sweeney.
1t was also made matter of record, up
on the request of Representative Blan-
lchard, of Josephine county, that 5,OOC
Of Jackson county Is 90 per cent Of the
highway fund be expended in jose
phie county.
The Jackson county court was repre-
sented by County Judge Madden while
Representative w. |. Vawter Of Med
ford, appeared on behalf Of the people
of Both jackson and Josephine. Leslie
Butler, of Hood River, and John H.
Albert, of Salem, members Of the ad-
visory board to the highway commits
sion, were also present at the hearing.
Judge Madden was the spokesman for
the Jackson county contingent and he
made brief statement of the condition
which exists in that county with re-
spect to the Pacific highway improve
ment.
He stated that, through the alleged
misunderstanding and extravaganza of
former Highway Engineer Bowlby the
county had only 10 miles of finished
roads of the SO miles contracted for
through the county, the balance being
graded and passable, and out Of the
$500,000 bonds voted by the county for
the purpose but $4,000 was left and
that Contractor Sweeney had a claim of
$4,000 in excess Of Major Bowlby's
estimate. He also stated that Major
Bowlby charged the county up with
$4,000 worth of read machinery which
is inventoried to the state and wanted
the highway commission to reimburse
the county to the credit Of the road
fund to this amount He also represent
ed that it would be impractical and un.
wise to attempt to lay hard surface up
on the Siskiyou mountain grade until
next year when the fills will have time
to settle, and he was borne out in this
by Engineer Cantine, and wanted the
commission to divert the $4,000 al
lotted to the county this year for finish
ing up the valley road with hard sur
face instead of the mountain grade.
d The commission did not see how il
could legally divert the money to the
} valley road improvement when il wa,
specifically stated in the act that il
| should be used in the Siskiyou mountain
grade and so ruled. Representative
Blanchard, in asking that the $4,000 b.
}. set aside unconditionally for the use OF
Josephine county, stated that Josephin,
e county had spent more money on the
Pacific highway Improvement in the
:, last three years than any county in the
b state, Approximately $250,0O0 without
bonding the county, and that 80 pei
c cent Of the county's indebtedness wa,
L caused by good road IS building, He
said that immense amounts Of crushed
- lime rock were being taken out Of the
Q mountains for fertilizer; Unprecedented
yields Of copper were being mined on
account of the heavy demands of the
5 war and the consequent good market
and the funds were needed for keeping