The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1920-05-07
CONTRACT AWARDED FOR
FIRST LINK OF FEDERAL
HIGHWAY IN THE COUNTY
Continued From Page ID

or the commission were filled with
contractors and bond representatives
long before the hour for the opening
OF the bids. Not only were there more
bidders on the road, but one of the
best known bond representatives in
the state said that the bidders were of
the very highest type, that they repre-.
scented firms of proven reliability and
solvency.
There was a wide margin between
the highest and lowest bid. The high
est bid for the construction of the
road was $4S3,0OO, and the lowest, ex.
cept the successful bid was $439. 900.
A big delegation of Maury county
citizens witnessed the opening of the
bids They We're keenly disappointed
that the bids were SO high They had
expected that the estimate made last
July by the commission of $4,000
mile would be exceeded and were pre-.
pared to pay fifty per cent more for
the road but when the bids showed
that the road would cost three times
this sum they were at first amazed
but finally after review OF the whole
situation they became somewhat re-
conciled to the cost.
Maury county was represented at
the opening of the bids by Judge
Washington G. Whitthorne county
Judge, and John H. Murphy, chairman,
and Clay E. Hight, of the county high
way commission. In addition a big
delegation of the citizens were ON
hand, among the number being Will
liam F. Anderson, president of the
board of trade, Henry o. Fulton, Hen.
ry Ashton Porter, Fred Latta, DIR. s.
Roy Harrison, Jos. Chapman, vii.
liam NJ. Tolley. James T. Petty, Hor-
ace Armstrong, William p Ridley and
the staff correspondent of The Herald |
After the bids had been publicly !
opened the engineers retired to figure !
up the results Upon ascertaining
what the various bids would cost per
mile, the Maury county officials, one
or two citizens and the representative
Of The Herald were summoned to a
private conference with the commits |
sion. Then ensued quite discussion
as to whether or not contract should |
be awarded 1t was evident that the
state commission was determined to |
award the contract. In this attitude |
they were supported by Engineer Hall,
representing the federal highway
board.
Asked for an opinion Judge Whit
thorne detailed the contest in this
county to obtain county support for
the state and federal highways. He
said that 100000 in bonds had been
voted as the county's one-third of the
cost of about forty-three miles of
road. but it was also to pay One-third
of the cost of such roads as the high
way commission contracted to build.
He said that he could not answer that
the county court would issue addition
al bonds to build the remainder of
the forty-three miles, that of course
as the county judge he would under
the contract between the county court
and the state, pay the county's third
when duly called upon; that only $751;
900 of bonds had been sold because
this was all that the state commits
sion had asked to have sold. Judge
Whitthorne spoke of the tremendous
cost of the road, saying that while 1t
was true Maury county had small
debt, yet school buildings were imper-
alive and the bridges were falling
down, making it absolutely necessary
in the near future large additional
sums.
Clay Z. Hight and John H. Murphy,
of the county highway commission,
spoke. They said that they had no
control over the funds of the county
voted for these roads; that the county
court had absolute control over them
and they could not answer for the
county court Mr.. Murphy said how
ever, that the bonds were voted on the
that they would be suf-
ficient to construct forty-three miles
of highway and not fifteen
Mr.. Hight asked that the acceptance
of the bids be postponed until after
the coaft met Monday. This was re-
fused and the members of the commits
sion frankly stated that If the con-
tract was not awarded at once, the
whole matter would be off and the
state and federal money, amounting
to nearly 100000 appropriated to
Maury county would go to some other
The bid was then accepted
and the contract awarded