Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1915-01-27
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. ~. Jam. 23.-Oncc more :.
number of the legislators arc on the
trail of the alleged bridge building
combine. and they claim they will get
the ..iokcrs' out of the state laws at.
this session or know the reason why.
Two years < IL measure to correct the
contracting opportunities was passed
in the senate, but the bridge men sent
out the clarion cry and drew i'm a horde
of county officials and former county
The bill was so badoy crippled by
amendments in the house that it's use
fullncss 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 ard Bielski have announced their
determination to wipe the bridge con
tract jokers from the South Dakota
statutes. They claim hat the con-
tracing companies work in coll,ision
and parcel territory. thus making the
supposed competitive conditions abso-
lutely farcial. The contracting COM
panics prepare the specifications and
lugslc them. with the consent Of
friendly officials. to keep ont indie
pendent competition.
For Contract Date.
In The new bridge bin it will be pro-
vided that the contract for each bridge
ne let separately and in bulk, on speci-
fications furnished. The system of bid
such method being very deceiving and
tending to cove up shady transact
tons. County commissioners will re-
serve the right to- buy material and
build the county bridges.
An important provision is that bids
must be opened in all counties of .he
state at the same time on dates fixed
by law. This will prevent bridge agents
from going in Il body to every meeting
for opening bids and will assure the
awarding OF contracts on the bids sub
laittcd. without the pressure of Il bridge
lobby in each county. These contract
letting days. when fixed by law. win
he known to the public and a clio. r
tab can be kept on the actions of our
Is officials lin bridge matters.
The bin will probably be ntrodu. a
immediately after recess. Its sponsors
are counting the fullest publicity In the
hope that they may prevent the bill
from being lobbied to death. as it WAS
Two years ago.
lid Bill Proposed.
Yhe so-called lid" bill probably vii!
be prepared and introduced by the r.,in-
mittec on state affairs of the senate.
The purpose OF the bill is to put the
lid on ewes bs counties. mnnicipali-
ties and school districts. which was
practically removed when assessments
wore raised to full valuation.
Wien property was assessed at nne-
third and one-fourth of it's value. many
| cites We're making their levies we'll up
to the limit. Under full Valuation. it rs
tssible for them to increase taNes la
three or four times what they We're be-
fore.
In it's annual report the tax corlmis-
| sion recommends that the limit be re-
duced to correspond with the i~..srease
in valuation. In no case is it proposed
to have the limit lower. p~roportioMniiy.
than 1t was before and it will be- some
hiElle in most cases.
Representative Labfte. of Sphinx
county. the good natured Frenchman.
whose joint resolution No. l memorial
i2ing congress to stop shipment of mu-
nitions of war to Europe was side
tracked by indefinite postponement the
previous day. showed that he was a
good loser when. after asking for II re:
cess of a half minute he held up a tiny
white flower and said:
II 10Y move that the speaker instruc+
the clerk OF mis- house to lay this little
flower On the mangled remains of
! House Joint Resolution No. L." The
speakers gavcl was not able to cheek
the imcrrimcnt that followed: