The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-11-29
SOME LIGHT AND COMMENT
ON LOCAL PAVING HISTORY
New. Tribune Has Wsbbed Back and "Reverdys"
Great influence Hard Reads Offer Promising Field
for Craft-PeepIe Demand Hsnest Treatment J

the specifications were such that a..
one, who was at all familiar with -.
magnetic mauip0lations of the flo..s
Mr.: Leahy,f Of Minneapolis, represent
ing the General Contracting Co, ana
n arren Br0thsrs, ulu NOT uvuDt IN,
minute as to who would receive ~.
contract. The only real question VIZ.
40 to how much that princely gen,is
man would have the nerve to ask.
1t is stated that asphalt now ia ba.
ing used in Bitulthie pavement in.
stead Of tar. Even with asphalt -.
present high prices, only about rs cent
worth goes into a yard Of pavement
At $3.45 per square yard, Mr.. Leabv
did not show any paucity of aervs
The point is, however, did the New.
Tribune or its versatile specialist, ed.
itor Mitchell, have anything to saw
Not one single word, 80 far as anyons
can remember. And where was thu
Commercial clubs paving committeei
IT 1t took any stand in favor of fail,
square and economical dealing with
the taxpayers, they never were told
about 1t.
1t was Mr.. Charles A. Mullen, a mt.
ed paving expert, then Of Milwaukee,
now OF New York, who said that about
so per cent. Of the cost Of Bitulitbis
was labor and material and the remain.
der selling talk and graft. 1t wa,
John M. Murphy, Of Warren Brothers,
who split $ll, 900 with Tammany Hail
New York City's Tammany Hall, in
promoting Bitulithic a few years aeo.
What has been spent in Duluth in re-.
cent years, if anything, probably Mr..
Leahy, or commissioner Farrell can
tell. But all that's another story.
Considering all these facts in con.
nection with the big county bond issue
OF 81, 100000, there are not a few able
and honorable men who fear that kind.
~ old st. Louis county stands a fai,
show OF spending anywhere from So.
100000 to 100000 for selling talk
and graft.
ANYONE with half an eye plainly can
see that the present board of county
commissioners Is not entirely made IN
Of enemies Of these insidious pullers
OF patent paving wires.
Engineers of proven ability and rem.
utation say that the chances are, IL
concrete is used for paving the county
roads, that the cost Of selling talk and
graft will be much smaller than IL
some patent pavement is selected. At
the same time, the action Of the Ce.
ment Trust in slyly donating $500
to the Minnesota Highway association
has not made a favorable impression
On engineers, contractors and taxpay.
ers.
The further fact remains, too, that
had the people fully known and under.
stood that the retirement Of the $780,.
00o, 600 in bonds for the state. $780,
600 for st. Louis county, depended on
an automobile tar and the uncertain
outcome Of vote on the adoption Of
q constitutional amendment, no such
bond issue ever would have carried.
The simple citizens In this neck o. Min.
nesota were carried off their feet and
both the daily papers gleefully took
part in the rush act.
The experiences Of the past few
weeks cause more than q few mighty
good citizens, to say nothing Of engi.
neers, to feel that this great fund Of
81 10000 for hard roads in st. Louis
county offers promising field for
graft.
IF the people once would wake up,
by the Way. and demand honast adito.
rails in the columns Of the great local
daily moulders Of public opinion, Il
might be hard on q few compiacent
specialists, who coneoct and inflict part
truths, but it would prove moro profit
able for the patrons Of those jour.
mails.
Now and then you meet citizen who
remembers what his old school reader
sale, viz: "He who tells part Of the
truth, when he should tell the whole
truth, 10 q liar"