The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-01-16
TWICHELL TELLS
BUILDERS
TO CONCENTRATE
THEIR EFFORTS
.Cass Co. Builder of High
ways Addresses Coun-
ty Commissioners
BLISS DEFENDS
HIS DEPARTMENT
Insists Commission Has
Been Conducting Work
on Proper Basis

The second days morning session
Of the North Dakota Commissioners
association brought out an attend
ance over the hundred mark.
| The annual banquet will be helc
in the Moose hall this evening, com.
mencing at $3.50 o'clock. Plates viii
be laid for $50. Following the BAN
quet, the commissioners will go In
body to one Of the theaters.
Treadwell Twichell of Mapleton
| N. D., told of certain feats" in road
| construction in his address on the
subject of Road Building" which
he gave this morning, and which oc-
cupied the entire morning session
He declared that the trouble with
Cass county and a good many other
counties in the state seemed to be
that they were trying to see how
many miles Of road could be built
He said he hoped every board of
commissioners in the state would
give the government and the state
highway commission fair tryout,
He defended them, stating ''if it
costs you more money, just keep in
mind that the government is wide in
its ramifications, and must adopt 2
plan to protect itself" He stated
construction work on roads he nat
urRlly would bid higher because he
knew there is no way Of "gypping''
the government. He made the state
ment that 'alI you commissioners do
on a road depends on the ability of
your engineer"
Former Governor L. B. Hanna ad-
dressed the convention Of COM
missioners this afternoon. Judge
Burleigh +. Spalding was invited bv
President Hockridge also to attend
the afternoon meeting and make a
few remarks.
J. w. Bliss. chief engineer of the
North Dakota Highway commission,
defending that body against recent
charges Of extravaganza in the mat
ter Of expenses, declared at the an
nual convention of the state com
missioners Tuesday afternoon that
the commission is the zone depart
meut in the state most yitaliy inter
ested in the conserving of the state
highway fund
The first tilt came early in the
afternoon when F1 b. Boyd, commits
sioner Of Cass county, said that Cass
county commissioners can build Just
as good roads cheaper than the state
highway commission. Commissioner
Boyd asserted that Cass county could
build good roads at an average. cost
OF $400 per mile while prepared
project statements covering 421 miles
in 19 counties Of the state Of North
Dakota, the estimated cost of which
is s531, 1924, averaged $1,134 per
mile. Mr.. Bliss stated that in the
primary work the state highway
commission was feeling it's way as
best it could and under somewhat adj
verse conditions trying TO comply
with the requirements OF the federal
government. He declared that coun-
ties have been building roads by the
hit and miss method ever since they
began and that the county commits
sioners only began to make a credit
able showing when they abandoned
these methods. He emphatically de-
clared that every dollar the state
highway commission has expended
in necessary surveys, plans and
specifications is the best money that
is put into a road.
Must Have Program.
IF we are going to build our roads
in a business-lik manner" said the
chief engineer, I'VE have first to build
our roads on paper, in spite of the
state auditor or any other person
who fancies he can extract political
dope out OF the activities Of the COM
mission. Furthermore, in state and
federal aid road work we must have
our plans and specifications con-
form to the government require
ments, so that engineers who may
never have seen the roads may pass
upon them, so that contractors can
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