Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1920-02-25
BIDS FOR FURTHER
PAVING REJECTED
County Commissioners Session
Thursday to Consider Paving
Bids Lively Affair

The postponed meeting of the Board
Of County Commissioners held last
Thursday for the purpose Of consider
ing the bids for the contract to hard
surface twelve more miles of the fed
eral road was quite an exciting occa-
sion, as there were a gOOdly number
of farmers from many parts of the
county on hand to protest against the
letting of the contract
H. S. Nelson of Lake Lillian, as a
delegate from an after meeting of
farmers who had attended the Non
partisan convention at Willmar, Feb
ruary II, brought in a petition Of re-
monstrance signed by a score of rep
resentative farmers. Peter Husinga
appeared as representative from the
Town Board of Roseland F. ]. Krag-
enbring of Harrison brought petition
Of protest from farmers who had taken
action against the contract at an auc-
ton in that town some days previous.
Others who spoke against the letting
of the contract were Mats Walner
from Lake Lillian; c.. H. Masterson
of st. Johns and Jonas Monson of
Willmar. A. 0. Nelson spoke in an
conciliating manner and asked for
what guarantee the county might have
that the things promised by the high
way commission would be forthcom-
ing, quoting recent statement of one
of the Federal Reserve Bank officials
that further road appropriations will
have to be curtailed.
County Engineer Wadell explained
the situation as it presented itself to
the County Board. The government
has appropriated $5,0OO,O0O as Mime
sota's share of the federal road funds
to be spent only in case the state
spends like amount. There is no
provision of the state constitution
authorizing the levy of taxes large
enough to allow the state to avail it.
self of this federal appropriation.
Pending the passage of the so-called
BabcOck amendment, the counties
were authorized by the last legisla-
ture to issue bonds to take care of the
states half of the hard surfacing of
the federal roads; in Kandiyohi this
amount is $250,OO0. He stated that
ours was one of some forty County
Boards of Minnesota to proceed under
this provision.
Mr.. Forbes of the State Highway
Commission was present and explain
ed the Babcock provisions further and
showed how the big cities will be
made to pay IS per cent of states
share in the building Of these roads.
The objectors maintain that there
is no need of rush in these abnormal
times. Labor is needed on the farms
and in productive. industry. They ar
que that Babcocks scheme of circum-
venting the state constitution is to
get the counties in debt so that they
will have to vote for the amendment
to protect themselves Jonas Monson
said that the contention that the paw.
ing would be secured for nothing was
pure bunk. Mr.. Masterson argued
that drainage was more needed than
concrete road across the county.
Realizing that the big majority of
the people of the county are opposed
to the letting Of further contracts at
this time and finding the bids so much
higher that the balance ($133,0O0) of
the county bond issue would not take
care of more than eight miles of the
county's share of the paving, the
County Board decided to reject the
bids. The paving project will now no
doubt rest until after the Babcock
amendment has been voted on.