The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-02-21
MAY LAY OVER ROAD WORK
City and County Are Both Hit by the
Big Price Being Demanded for Gem
ent - improvements Planned May
Go Over Until After the War.

Kenosha county is not going to let
any contracts for cement for its road
building operations during the coming
season. This is the decision of the
Wisconsin State Highway Commission
and the local commission has been in
structed not to make contracts but to
be prepared to buy cement in the open
market Letters sent out some DAYS
ago urged county commissions not to
make contracts, declaring that in the
wisdom of the commission the prices
being asked were unfair prices.
The Kenosha bids were taken some
time ago and it was declared that
they appeared to be fair bids, but
that under them the price was low
on account Of the low bids of team
sters for handling the cement.
any more for cement on the open mar
ket than we would pay under the con
tracto said one of the members of the
commission this morning. eve may
be called upon to pay little more fer
hauling the cement, but certainly the
price for the cement is not going to
be any higher. We are expecting some
Investigations to be started by the
state commission which will bring about
a reduction in the price of cement -.
It is admitted that the entire pro-
gram for road building in this and sur
rounding counties may be thrown into
the discard if the cement companies
insist on prices which have been named
in bids recently made. The members
of the highway commission insist that
the prices are higher than are war
ranted by present conditions and it is
one of the possibilities that the whole
road building program of the state will
be halted for the year on account of
the attitude of the cement companies.
Money has been raised and is now
in the bank for some of the road work
in this county.
This isStrue Of the proposed compile
ton of part Of the Sheridan Drive.
The people in the towns Of Somers and
Pleasant Prairie are anxious to get
this work completed, but members of
town boards of these towns are I'M
willing to pay a vast tribute to the
cement companies in order to get this
work done. They have declared that
rather than pay an unfair price they
will ask the state highway commission
which secured government aid for these
highways to lay the work over until
next year or until after the war is over.
The city is now advertising for ce-
ment for roads which have been pro-
posed for paving within the city limits,
but it is understood that the adver-
| tisement has been sent out with view
of seeing what prices will be offered
and with the distinct understanding
that if the cement companies demand
prices higher than are considered war
ranted under the present conditions
that the city will decline all bids and
at the same time decline to do any
paving work until such time as ma
terials can be purchased at what the
city considers a fair price. Members
of the council have stated openly that
they will lay over the whole paving
program unless the work can be done
at prices which would be fair to the
property owners.
It is probable that the city and
county may join later in the purchase
of road making materials.