Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-01-16
BLISS DEFENDS
N. D. HIGHWAY
COMMISSION
W. Have to Build our
Roads on Paper" Says
Chief Engineer.

Fargo. N. D., Jan. 16.-Jay w.
Bliss. chief engineer of the North Da-
kota highway commission, defending
that body against recent charges OF
penses, declared at the annual con-
vention of the state commissioners
Tuesday afternoon that the commits.
sion Is the zone department in tho
state most vitality interested in the
conserving Of the state highway
fund.-"
The first tilt came early in the aft
ernoon' when r. B. Boyd. commits
sioner Of Cass county, chat ged thai
Cass county commissioners can build
, Just as good roads cheaper than those
by he state highway commission.
Commissioner Boyd asserted that Cass
average cost Of $500 per mile while
prepared project statements covering
421 miles in 10 counties of the state
of North. Dakota, the estimated cost
. of which is $531.752. "a averaged 81.
1874 per mile. Mr.. Bliss stated that
in the primary work the state high
as best it could and under somewhat
adverse conditions trying to comply
with the requirements of the federal
government. He declared that u
ties have been building roads by the
hit and miss method ever since they
began and hat the county. commits
sioners only began to make a credit
able showing when they abandoned
these methods. He emphatically de-
clared that .very dollar the state
highway commission has expended in
necessary surveys, plans and specifica-
lions is the best money that is put in
TO a road.
IF we are going to build our roads
In a business-like manner" said the
chief engineer. I'VE nave first to build
our roads on paper, in spite of the
state auditor or any other person who
fancy they can extract political dope
out of the activities of the commits
sion. Furthermore, in state and fed
: eral aid road work we must have our
the government requirements, so that
engineers who may. never have seen
the roads may pass upon them, SO
hat contractors can bid in%telligently
upon them. The contention that a
road contractor cannot afford to bid
covered by plans and specifications
and under the direction of a COM
petent engineer, is the sheerest non
sense. AS a matter of fact, a con.
tractor cannot afford to bid on work
handled in any other way"
Discussion of points in connection
with the work of the state highway
commission and in direct taxes to be
levied by the counties to. equal the
r.. amount to be returned by the state
y" for highways. occupied the entire at
tention of the state highway official:
n the commissioners during the aft
ernoon-with the result that the after
standing between the commissioner
and the state highway officers. 1
State Engineer Bliss.could not answel
a question whioh&was asked of him !
z was referred to, a member in his de
partment who was acquainted will
that particular phase of the roa'
building Question.
E.. d. Hathaway. chief engineer TO
the district for the federal govern
ment, told the county commissioner
that il county machinery could b.
used in the construction Of the road
to do so. He advised them not t,
build roads just because there was
. Later Mr.. Hathaway told a represen
tative Of the Forum that the Cas-
and Foster county road projects ar
the only two in the state that hav
been approved by h federal govern
ment, and that there is only n 9th
err state in the district that has
larger number of projects already ap
proved and that Is Minnesota.
Dickinson. 1.-THE Queen City of tn
Prairies," doomed up late in the aft
ernoon as one of the strong contend
a" ers for the mex convention. TIL
commissioners from Stark county G
which that city is the county sea
brought a large invitation from Star
county commissioners n the. Com
mercial club Of Dickinson invited tn
commissioners to hold their twelft
annual meeting there.
In his address before the conven
ton during the afternoon and tn
only one during the latter half {
the day. State Engineer Bliss Shove
thai the total salaries to the first {
the year was $~15,1O3.46. practical
SO per cent of the total expens
charged to the highway fund. He sal
thai his represents a large sum. b,
it would only pay IS men for. on
year a salary Of $1,000 each, and this
the commissioners, he was certain
would not criticise this %xependitul
with the amount Of work which tn
state highway commission accom-