Morris tribune., 1920-07-02
CEMENT SCARCITY NOT
DUE TO ROAD BUILDING
Cause Is Found in the Coal Shortage
OF Last Winter When Cement
Was Apportioned

|, An0 SSahc4Iy OI cement is causing
considerable hardship to those who
mad planned various building opera
t1ons, and the report has gone out
that cement is scarce because it is
being used for bodybuilding, and the
opponents Of road improvement are
making the most Of this report in
order to create opposition to Min
nesota's road building program.
The fact appears to be, however.
that road work is being halted all
over the state on account Of inability
to get cement, and that those con-
tractors who have cement are the
ones who had the foresight to obtain
supply early. Cement factories are
also curtailing their output on ac-
count Of all storage facilities being
used up. Great stocks of cement are
on hand at the factories, but the rail-
roads are unable to move them.
Commissioner D. H. Lawler wrote
G. w. Babcock, of the State High
way Commission, relative to the
cause of the cement shortage, and
the following paragraph from Mr..
Babcock's letter explains the short
age:
with regard to the cement sit
uation, will say that the road pro-
gram has no bearing on the cement
situation in this State so far as it
affects other lines of activity. Fol-
lowing the coal and railroad strike
last winter, which cut down the pro.
duction of cement, owing to the in
ability to obtain coal, the cement
companies decided that they would
have to apportion the cement among
the various activities at the ratio
which had prevailed in previous
years, therefore the road construction
received only it's due proportion
based on previous years work, and
the local dealers also received their
due proportion based upon previous
years use. If the dealers in your
locality failed to protect themselves
by placing their orders early enough
to obtain their share Of the dealers
cement, it is something which the
road men could not help, for the
cement which was assigned to road
work would have been used in other
states if not taken by Minnesota, but
even at that we found that the pres
ent industrial situation would not
warrant a continuance of road con-
struction and particularly paving
construction this year, and we there
fore stopped the letting of contracts
for approximately 100 miles of paw
ing which would otherwise have been
let in Minnesota for this years work.
AS you know, we sent out circular
May 8, advising the counties to not
let any more contracts excepting for
extremely important pieces of work,
which recommendation has been fol-
lowed by practically all of the coun-
ties and thereby relieving the labor
situation for farm work very mat
erially. I should think that people
who we're informed on this matter
would understand the attitude of this
department and realize that we do
not propose to do any work when it
interferes with any other activity in
the State"
$50 this is the cause of the cement
shortage" said Mr.. Lawler in dis
cussing the matter with The Tribune,
this, and the scarcity of cars to de-
Aiver same is the true situation with
reference to the cement proposition,
and not the greatly exaggerated
stories told by the people who do
not understand it.
'"The same thing is true with re-
ference to Amendment No. One for
hard surfaced and gravelled roads.
If the people understood it and knew
the great saving it would be to the
tax payers of Stevens county and
all the counties in the state that
have applied for federal aid for roads,
they would heartily endorse Amend
ment No. One, known as the Bah
cock Plan for good roads,"