Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1915-current, 1917-12-22

! unanimously adobts this report, and
commehds the SAME to the County
highway Commission at Joint meet.
I ing with il.
The acts creating said commission
makes II the duty OF the supervisors.
under the direction of the board. to
lhhe charge OF all county roads and
supervise and direct the building. re-
pairing and maintaining OF the same:
10 lay out roads on the best grade
and aiisnments possible; TO repair.
plan and supervise and furnish esti
mates for the boards guidance. II
Is evident that such duties cannot be
performed by the ordinary layman.
but should be entrusted TO n man
skilled in engineering work.
We find that the County Highway
Board has been very lax in the bust
ness management OF its affairs We
hnd repeated attempts 10 eyade the
law contained in Chapter Five of the
act creating the board in regard to
advertising for contracts where the
amount involved is more than Ave
hundred dollars. It seems TO be the
custom of the board repeatedly to let
I NS'AN'ANA' bSNlNHdAlub NlOIt llldn nNp
hundred dollars without aGvertisin ing.
ana TO cVadc the law by either civld.
ing the same into partial payments,
less than tlve hundred dollars, or by
acCe pung bids for three separate Dol.
tlCn OF the work. each at a figure less
than five hundred dollars, but the
complete work aggregating consider.
db.y more than that amount. As an
instance OF this we find that the
Highway Board authorized the pur-
chase OF a number OF bridges OF diff
icrcnt lengths, involving more than
two thousand dollars. These bridges
were shipped here as a carload Of
material. and Were sold the county
from time 10 time as required from
the person who purchased the same
After the last report of this Grand
Jury. however. the Highway Board
discovered that such practice was II.
legal and therefore. by agreement with
the contractors cancelled the contract
for the purchase of the remainder Of
said bridges on hand. II then adver
tised for a forty.fOot five beam bridge
for it's use and at the time OF the
opening Of the bids there were two
bidders thercat. One of the bidders
claims that the advertisement was
drafted in such shape as to give him
to understand that each beam must
be capable of bearing n tweDty.ton
weight. when as matter OF fact II
was the intention that the five beams
should be capable OF suspending such
weight. The contract was awarded
TO n local firm at a price aggregaiinG
almost ten cents per pound. AS the
bridge weighed approximately twelve
thousand pounds this involved an eX.
pcnditure of one hundred and eighty
dollars more than the former con.
tract price. When the fact IL taken
into consideration that this bridge
was on hand at the time of the ad'
vertisinE. and Il was one of the
bridges ordered for the express use
OF the county at the price OF eight
and one.haH cents per pound. II Is
evident that this piece of chiCanery
was detrimental TO the countys in
tcrests when II appeared that the ad
veTtiscmcnt for bids was misleading.
With n proper regard for the rights
OF the bidders, all bids should have
been rejected and Tc.advcrtisCd. and
IL would have been no more than fair
for the successful bidder to have put
the price of this bridge to the county
at the same price at which he had
heretofore practically sold the same
to the county. The evidence before
the Grand Jury shows that had the
unsuccessful bidder understood the
terms OF the advertisement material
saving to- the county could have been
perfected through the acceptance OF
his bid.
A certain complaint was made
against the county assessor alleging
that he had failed to make his month.
" settlement to the treasurer, as re-
uuired by law at certain time, but
on investigation we find that his fail.
ure to make settlement was due to his
non.receipt Of poll tax reports from
| employers Of labor to whom the law
requires him to consign poll books
and that Immediately upon receipt Of
such reports from such employers Of
labor prompt and full settlement
was made by the assessor with the
county treasurer.
| In view of The report which has
been in circulation concerning the
| county assessor. which VIC have fatr
ly cleared up by the foregoing, we
deem II proper to say that an inVcstr
CATION OF the affairs Of the assessors
| Office show that our county assessor
| is an able. fearless, and efficient Of
] flccr and conscientious In the por'
J formancc OF tho duties Of his oihcc.