El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1920-01-19
WHERE IS THE ECONOMY IN WHAT
THE COMMISSIONERS HAVE DONE?'

IT IS the heers fooshness the contention of the county
commissioners, that they have saved the taxpayers
money by awarding the contract for he Island" road for
crushed stone with btuminous surface at cent a
square yard cheaper than concrete.
Throughout the country concrete Is recognized as the
standard for road building When constructed, It forms
solid compact slab the full thickness Of the pave
men be sunk into the earth By the weight Of
heavy oadsf built sufficiently thick as called for IN the
specifications for the concrete he Island" road Il does
not ol" and become ToEgh II remains smooth; stands
up under the load and it wears
Lay the crushed stone newly made grade roll it
and bind It only with inch and half Of bitumiuous
surface and you have road that never be durable
enduring satisfactory concrete road. It
can't be- Aside from this, It VII crush the sides
Ordinary judgment VIII satisfy the merest lsyman that
the concrete is by far the best Experts consider it 100
pecent better than the compromise specification chosen By
the county board.
Where then, is the saving to the taxpayers on four
miles Of this built S245 per SQUARE ward
when the could be put down concrete at S249?
The total saving is less than 500 cash and there is
difference Of many thousands Of dollars the actual value
To say that there large saving between the Of
this sort Of road and the type called for at $3.50 getting
the type Of road that brought out the Did for $3.50 the
which the commissioners first accepted. That type
called for concrete base Of five inches and btumnous
surface Of two inches This too light for concrete base
and the concrete mixture dangerously clean"
Why the necessity fol btuminous surface upon con-
crete road Of the proper ness2 Take the road between
Courchesne and Anthony It has bitumnous suracng
and It has stood for three years and IS good today
the day It laid. There cracks il, very
usefulness OF the pavement Every person knows this who
has driven It and every driver also knows how safe
and satisfactory Is the concrete surface. There less
sddng The truck @takes hold" better The road
remains smoother under and than any btuminous
road ever put down.
Where bitumnous pavement Is laid upon crushed stone
in the city, there curbs OF hold the pave
meHt-to keep It from creeping" rolling. There is
nothing Of this sort county road The wear and tear
county road IS heavier than city street. because
heavy loads moved over faster and gets rougher
usage Il does not carry many vehicles per mile per day.
but the usage rOugher and the pavement does not receive
the constant care that city pavement gets.
Tue bumnous pavement is good city streets and II
is not bad county road but It IS not worth much
concrete The Herald has often commended the lasting
qualities Of the bumnous pavement IN FL Paso. But for
country road Of the proper thickness is superior
many ways to the pavement made Of crushed stone
foundation with al inch and half Of bituminous SUI
facing.
There has been no saving upon this rosd-n fact money
Is being squaudered The Herald has hesitation say
ing that years from If this pavement is put down,
Island It VIII not be good pavement the concrete
stretch between Courchesne and Anthony which already has
proposed for "the Island" at a cent than to be
paid for the btumnous pavement is to be richer and
better than the Anthony pavement
The commissioners have made no saving. It IS the
merest camouflage to say So The FL chamber Of
commerce asked that the concrete paving at cest Of S4
square yard be put down, after the commissioners had
accepted the light concrete base with bumnous SUI
face $3.50 The commissioners without listening to the
arguments from the chamber Of commerce. without hearing
what other states thought OF the several paYeen With
out according hearing to the business men from the
chamber af commerce. let contract for the crushed rock
paving with htuminous surface, at cent square yard
less than the concrete paving would have cost.
Why the haste7 IF the pavement contracted for was
best Why was It not the courteous thing to It over
anyhow with these business men2 They all business
men epen 70 conviction They have but object and
that get the best for the money. The commissioners
say that IS their object Then Why couldn't the matter
have been discussed? Are the commissioners Of
Their judgment that they deem it not worth their while to
discuss these things with the who pay the taxes2
Statements been made around the courthouse that
the cement plant gang merely fighting to sell cement
It has beer limited On several occasions.
Perhape It might be well to publish list Of the stock
holders and the amount Of stock held by each person. in the
SouthWestem Portland Cement company and the Texas
Bitu1ithic company The Herald imputes wrong no
Tss anyone in this mattebut It IS convinced that the
commissioners lost to the taxpayers Of e Paso county